Little Simz Cancels North American Tour, Citing Financial Deficit and “Mental Stress”

Last fall, Little Simz released one of 2021’s best albums, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert—but even an artist of her stature isn’t immune to the pitfalls of the music industry. Tuesday afternoon, the London-based musician announced via social media that she has canceled her North American tour, which had been set to kick off on May 1.

“I take my live shows seriously and would only want to give you guys nothing but the best of me,” she explains in her announcement. “Being an independent artist, I pay for everything encompassing my live performances out of my own pocket and touring the US for a month would leave me in a huge deficit.”

“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 continues. “It’s important for me to speak my truth about this and be honest.“

“For now I’m creating and working on art that I’m so excited about. Music of course but other things too; all levelling to greater heights,” she teased in conclusion. “A message to all artists and creatives, know your worth and stick to your guns.“

Simz’s tour had been scheduled to start in Portland, Oregon, on May 1, hitting Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., before concluding with a May 25 show at New York City’s Webster Hall.

As disappointing as this news may be, Simz’s transparency on the matter is very important, indeed—many casual music fans fail to realize how fraught the financial realities of making it as an indie musician truly are.