Santigold has cancelled her upcoming North American tour, citing the difficulties of navigating the post-pandemic landscape.
The new statement confirms all upcoming shows have been pulled, with fans able to request refunds from the point of purchase. It follows the release of recent album ‘Spirituals’, which Clash labelled “a refreshing blend of genre-smashing pop…”
The new statement finds Santigold saying she is “both sad and proud” to make the announcement, explaining: “for the past several years we have all been through immense challenges, some physical, some mental, some spiritual, some economic. And yet, as we have begun to trudge on, much of the toll of that experience has been left untended as we rush back in, attempting to make up for lost time, to reconnect, catch up on bills unpaid, to escape the insanity that had begun to set in. For many of us, the landscapes we are re-entering are not the same.”
Santigold expanded on this, discussing the loss in income, and how this eats into the capabilities of running a tour. “After sitting idle (not being able to do shows) for the past couple years, many of us like everyone else, earning no or little income during that time, every musician that could, rushed back out immediately when it was deemed safe to do shows. We were met with the height of inflation—gas, tour buses, hotels, and flight costs skyrocketed—many of our tried-and-true venues unavailable due to a flooded market of artists trying to book shows in the same cities, and positive test results constantly halting schedules with devastating financial consequences.”
The American artist revealed that these pressures have taken their toll on her mental health, stating: “I want to tell you that for me it has taken a toll – through anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, vertigo, chronic pain, and missing crucial time with my children. In the place that I’m in, in the place that the music business is in, it feels like I’ve been hanging on, trying to make it to the ever-distant finish line, but my vehicle’s been falling apart the whole time—the bumper fell off, the wheels one at a time, the steering wheel, and finally the whole bottom fell out.”
In a powerful closing statement, Santigold writes: “I will not continue to sacrifice myself for an industry that has become unsustainable for, and uninterested in the welfare of the artists it is built upon.”
Find the statement in full below.
Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfells
