KT Tunstall has cancelled her summer tour dates due to concerns about her hearing.
The ‘Suddenly I See’ hitmaker has taken the devastating decision to pull out of her upcoming touring commitments, including a support slot with the legendary Hall & Oates in the US, after experiencing tinnitus in her right ear, which led to her being unable to hear in her left ear three years ago.
In a lengthy statement to fans, KT explained: “The decision to pull myself out of my Summer 2021 touring schedule has been an extremely difficult one to make. Playing live has been my life for the last 20 years, and is my deepest passion.
“Permanently losing 100% of my hearing in my left ear overnight whilst on tour in 2018 was an enormous shock, and the result of years of touring without adequate periods of rest, which caused an acute physical breakdown.
“After a recent run of consecutive shows and travel in July, I have experienced some issues with my right ear; a small amount of tinnitus – which is exactly how the breakdown of my left ear began.”
The 46-year-old star has vowed to not quit touring but instead work out a schedule that ensures she has ample rest in between shows going forward to put less pressure on her hearing.
She continued: “My thoughts on touring so intensively and consecutively have made me question whether my remaining hearing will be able to handle it, and as a result I have decided that the only healthy way forward for me as a ‘live’ musician is to completely avoid lengthy back-to-back touring which causes inevitable exhaustion and stress.
“To move forward safely in my career, I must ensure that my touring schedule leaves adequate rest between smaller batches of shows.”
KT is set to reschedule her headline shows “in a less intensive way for 2022”.
She added: “With huge regret and sadness, this means I will no longer be able to join Hall & Oates on their incredible tour. It is hard to fathom pulling out of such a wonderful opportunity. Hall & Oates, The Band, Management, Crew, fans and organisers have all been so wonderful to me.
“All headline shows I have during the time period of the Hall & Oates dates will be rescheduled in a less intensive way for 2022, and tickets will be honored for the new dates.
“I wish to play live and create music for the rest of my life, but to best ensure I will be able to do so, I must put my hearing health first as it could be the difference between being able to be a musician or not.
“I love you, thank you always for your support and understanding, and I hope to see you somewhere before too long! KT x.”