English singer-songwriter Sam Fender has canceled his remaining 2022 US tour dates to take care of his mental health. This includes a trio of headlining shows, gigs in support of Florence + the Machine, and an appearance at Las Vegas’ Life Is Beautiful.
“It seems completely hypocritical of me to advocate discussion on mental health and write songs about it if I don’t take the time to look after my own mental health,” Fender wrote in a statement posted to social media. “I’ve neglected myself for over a year now and haven’t dealt with things that have deeply affected me. It’s impossible to do this work on myself while on the road, and it’s exhausting feigning happiness and wellness for the sake of business. My friends and colleagues have been worried about me for a while and it’s not going to get better unless I take time to do so.”
He added, “I am eternally overwhelmed by the love and support of our fans and hate to let you down, but the state of my wellbeing is starting to affect everything I do, including my performances [and] I refuse to go out there and not give it my all EVERY time, as you all deserve nothing less.”
Planning to “come back stronger,” Fender will fulfill his late November dates in Australia, as well as the “fucking unbelievable” shows he’ll play at St James Park in Newcastle in June 2023.
Read his full statement below.
Fender explained how creating music can provide a respite from “moments of depression” in a recent interview with Consequence, saying, “Even when my mental health is bad, when I have moments of depression, the one thing that’s kind of a constant in everything in my life is when I finish writing a song, there’s that feeling of it being therapeutic and cathartic.”
Back in March, Fender also spoke about how therapy influenced his songwriting during an episode of Kyle Meredith With… He most recently released “Alright,” a leftover track from the sessions for his sophomore album, Seventeen Going Under.
— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) September 12, 2022