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.
