Cat Stevens, also known as Yusuf Islam, has postponed the North American leg of his book tour due to unspecified visa issues, the singer announced on social media on Monday. The tour was set to support his memoir, Cat on the Road to Findout, which will be released in the US on 7 October.
Stevens wrote that his team waited months for visa approvals, but “at this point, the production logistics necessary for my show cannot be arranged in time”. The book release will not be affected, he noted, adding that “books don’t need visas!”
The tour was scheduled to begin on 2 October in Philadelphia, with various stops across the US and a date in Toronto, Canada, on 8 October. All dates have been postponed. Stevens expressed his disappointment, saying, “I am really upset! Not least for my fans who have bought tickets and made travel plans to see me perform.”
Stevens indicated that the tour could be rescheduled if visas are approved, but those dates “would be some time away because of other travel plans”. He added, “Hopefully, fans will be able to hop on the Peace Train route at some time in the future.”
The British singer-songwriter rose to fame in the 1960s and converted to Islam in the late 1970s, putting his career on hold for two decades. He returned to secular music in the 2000s and last toured North America in 2014.
