Little Simz has become a bona fide star in her native England, but conquering America has run into a roadblock. The acclaimed hip-hop artist said Tuesday that she is canceling a U.S. tour that was to begin in May due to a lack of resources as an independent artist that would create a “huge deficit” for her if she carried out the shows as planned.
“Hey guys, due to unforeseen circumstances I’ve been left with no option but to reschedule my US tour,” the artist wrote in a statement. “I take my live shows seriously and would only want to give you guys nothing but the best of me. Being an independent artist, I pay for everything encompassing my live performances out of my own pocket and touring the U.S. for a month would leave me in a huge deficit.”
Tour dates in America, which still had active ticket links on her website as of Wednesday afternoon, were to have started on May 1 in Portland and continued through a May 25 wrap-up at New York’s Webster Hall, with stops along the way at venues including the Novo in Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.
“As much as this pains me to not see you at this time, I’m just not able to put myself through that mental stress,” she continued in her statement, posted on social media. “It’s important for me to speak my truth about this and be honest. I appreciate the love and excitement you guys have for seeing me live. Rest assured I will be there soon, back bigger and better. For now I’m creating and working on art that I’m so excited about. Music of course but other things too; all leveling to greater heights.”
PvNew named her 2021 album “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” as one of the year’s 10 best, and additionally named her single “Woman” as the second-best song of 2021.
Awards have also been coming Little Simz’s way. She was up for five Brit Awards this year and picked up the trophy for best new act. She also won an NME Award this year for best solo act from the U.K. Currently, she’s nominated for two Ivor Norvello awards, for best album and best contemporary song, as well as being up for a Libera award for best hip-hop/rap record.
ned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram/p/Cciji0KLz9i/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">A post shared by simz (@littlesimz)
Although not explicitly saying so, Little Simz’s statement hinted that keeping the dates if she had been willing to compromise her show with a bare-bones production. Her statement concluded: “A message to all artists and creatives, know your worth and stick to your guns. Love you all.”
It’s believed her European dates this year will go on as planned. Lil Simz’s reps could not immediately be reached for comment.
The artist’s web site shows her booked pretty consistently through the end of the year throughout Europe, including appearance sat the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival in June and Leeds Festival in August. There was one additional U.S. date booked for later in the year between her European outings, at the Firefly Music Festival in Delaware in late September, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether that show is being canceled along with the May tour.
