Arlo Parks has withdrawn from some US tour dates, stating via social media that her mental health has reached a “debilitating place.”
Last year’s Mercury Prize winning artist has pulled out of a series of shows from Boston to Salt Lake City, and will recommence her tour on September 26th at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom.
“I’ve been on the road on and off for the last 18 months, filling every spare second in between and working myself to the bone,” she explains. “It was exciting and I was eager to grind and show everyone what I was capable of, how grateful I was to be where I am today. The people around me started to get worried but I was anxious to deliver and afraid to disappoint my fans and myself.”
Arlo continues: “I pushed myself unhealthily, further and harder than I should’ve. I find myself now in a very dark place, exhausted and dangerously low – it’s painful to admit that my mental health has deteriorated to a debilitating place, that I’m not okay, that I’m a human being with limits.”
Arlo Parks is not the first to claim some much-need time off the road; fellow former Dork cover star Sam Fender also recently withdrew from the remainder of his 2022 US tour dates, explaining that, “it’s exhausting feigning happiness and wellness for the sake of business.”
On the show cancellations, for which she is already offering refunds, the London-based singer adds: “I don’t take decisions like this lightly but I am broken and I really need to step out, go home and take care of myself. I’m forever thankful to everyone who continues to show up for me, what a dream to have fans like you guys.
You can read her full statement below:
— Arlo Parks (@arloparks) September 16, 2022
Arlo Parks’ updated tour schedule now reads:
September
26 Portland, Crystal Ballroom
27 Seattle, The Showbox
29 San Francisco, The Warfield
October
2 Los Angeles, The Fonda Theatre
4 Tempe, Marquee Theatre
10 New Orleans, The Joy Theater
12 Atlanta, The Eastern