Visa Issues Force Music Legend to Postpone Book Tour
The award-winning musician announced a week prior that his book tour was in “serious jeopardy.”
Gus Stewart/Gus Stewart/Redferns
British musician Yusuf Islam, who is also known by his stage name Cat Stevens, revealed he would be postponing his North American book tour due to visa issues.
The musician's newest memoir touches upon the rock and roll star's rise to fame and his conversion to the Islamic faith.
Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage
“Sadly, my Cat on the Road to Findout Book Tour in the U.S. looks like it won’t go ahead as scheduled in October,” the 77-year-old singer wrote on Instagram. “Waiting months for visa approvals, we held out as long as we could. However, at this point, the production logistics necessary for my show cannot be arranged in time.”
“I am really upset! Not least for my fans who have bought tickets and made travel plans to see me perform.”
The singer, 77, continued in the lengthy post, saying his North American fans may still be able to attend the tour if visa approvals eventually come through. He did not specifically share the details of his visa holdup.
“Those dates would be some time away because of other travel tour plans but, hopefully, fans will be able to hop on the Peace Train route at some time in the future,” the author wrote.
The musician has been on an international tour to promote his memoir, Cat On The Road To Findout, which is slated to release on Oct. 7
“Meanwhile, tour delays should not affect the book, which you’ll still be able to enjoy... the obvious benefit of it being—books don’t need visas!”
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The official announcement follows an Instagram post from a week prior, where the singer had described his tour as in “serious jeopardy.”
“The U.S. leg of Yusuf Cat Stevens’ Book Tour is in serious jeopardy due to significant delays in U.S. immigration processing. Despite our team’s exhaustive efforts, the required performance visas for Yusuf and his band have not yet been issued,” the post caption read.
“We’ve prepared something truly special for my American audience, but this is out of our hands,” the singer said.
The tour was scheduled to start in Philadelphia on Oct. 2 and conclude in Los Angeles on Oct. 22.
The singer previously announced that his book tour was in "serious jeopardy."
STARLITE/STARLITE/Redferns
According to his website, the tour would have entailed “an intimate night where stories, songs, and truths intertwine,” featuring conversations with the author and acoustic performances.
The singer began his career in folk-rock and pop genres, debuting his first album in 1967 where his title song “Matthew and Son” reached top 10 in the U.K. charts.
In 1977, he converted to Islam, and adopted the name of Yusuf Islam. After his conversion, the singer made music with Islamic influences, and made his return to secular music in 2006. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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