Grimes has sparked backlash and confusion after she included reference to Charlie Kirk on the cover art of her latest album.
The 37-year-old singer, real name Claire Boucher, announced the release of Artificial Angels in the early hours of Friday in a post shared on social media.
The album cover is a collage which features numerous screenshots, including one of the Kirk memorial coin, which can be seen in the top right-hand corner.
Activist Kirk was shot dead while speaking at a Q&A event for Turning Point USA at Utah Valley University on September 10. He was 31.
Also included in the art is a grab of the meme coin for Iryna Zarutska, the Ukrainian refugee who was murdered in North Carolina in August aged 23.
Grimes, who shares three children with Elon Musk, featured a series of quotes too, such as ‘thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind’ and ‘Grimes is in her cringe fascist era.’
Some social media users were immediately rattled by the inclusion of Kirk on the cover and expressed outrage.
One posted: ‘Charlie Kirk??… on the cover ???… yeah you’re done.’
Grimes has ignited a response over the inclusion of Charlie Kirk on her new album art
The singer released her latest album, Artificial Angels, which included reference to Kirk
‘Justice for Charlie?????’ another asked.
A third continued: ‘Plz tell me the Charlie Kirk part of the cover is satire sister…’
Others, however, defended the singer and explained that the inclusion of Kirk is simply satire.
One said: ‘Imagine being so hysterical the mere sight of someone you disagree with prevents you from being able to see the clear message.
‘She’s criticizing people using his death for memecoin. It’s out of touch. Her song is about internet hysteria, and frankly that’s anyone who’s so offended and ready to jump on her.’
‘Grimes making art about internet hysteria and everyone proving her point in real time,’ another wrote.
A third guessed: ‘I’m thinking its satire/rage bait.’
‘She is mocking the USE of someone’s death for CRYPTO COIN, inherently exploiting his death with AI,’ a fourth offered.
Kirk was shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University on September 10
Grimes was previously romantically linked to Elon Musk, with whom she shares three children
Daily Mail has contacted Grimes for comment.
Last month, it was reported that meme coin creators and traders profited more than $2 million following Kirk’s assassination.
The news called into question the ethics of cryptocurrency, with many people disgusted that it’s possible to capitalize off a person’s death.
Artificial Angels is Grimes’s sixth album, following Geidi Primes (2010), Halfaxa (2010), Visions (2012), Art Angels (2015), and Miss Anthropocene (2020).
Grimes was previously in an on-and-off relationship with Musk from 2018 through 2023.
The former couple officially went public with their romance in May 2018 when they attended the Met Gala together.
The pair are parents to three children: X Æ A-Xii, five, Exa, almost four, and Techno, three.
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