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Lewis Capaldi cancels Australian tour after Glastonbury appearance

Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi has cancelled his upcoming Australian tour as he takes an indefinite break from touring.

The 26-year-old made the announcement after an emotional performance at last weekend’s Glastonbury music festival, where he struggled to finish his song Someone You Loved.

As he lost his voice, the packed crowd stepped in and sang the hit for him.

“I really apologise. You’ve all come out, and my voice is really packing in,” a clearly emotional Capaldi told the crowd.

“We’re gonna play two more songs, if that’s cool, even if I can’t hit all the notes.”

Capaldi has been open about his struggles with mental health and Tourette syndrome, which causes uncontrollable repetitive movements or sounds. Ahead of Glastonbury, he took several weeks off performing so he could “be at my best and ready” for the festival.

The Before You Go singer had been due to head the line-up at the 2023 Splendour in the Grass lineup in Byron Bay from July 21-23. He was also slated to play two shows in Sydney and Melbourne, and one each in Perth and Adelaide, also in July.

But late on Tuesday (Australian time), that changed.

“The fact that this probably won’t come as a surprise doesn’t make it any easier to write, but I’m very sorry to let you know I’m going to be taking a break from touring for the foreseeable future,” Capaldi wrote on social media.

“I used to be able to enjoy every second of shows like this and I’d hoped three weeks away would sort me out.

“But the truth is I’m still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s, and on Saturday it became obvious that I need to spend much more time getting my mental and physical health in order, so I can keep doing everything I love for a long time to come.”

Capaldi was diagnosed with Tourette’s a year ago and has also discussed his health issues in a Netflix documentary.

“It was terrifying to share it,” he told Variety in an April interview.

“Even though I’m open and forthcoming online, it’s usually through quite a jovial lens.”

On Tuesday, he said he knew he was fortunate to be able to take time out when he needed.

“I’d like to thank my amazing family, friends, team, medical professionals and all of you who’ve been so supportive every step of the way through the good times and even more so during this past year when I’ve needed it more than ever,” he said.

“I’m so incredibly sorry to everyone who had planned to come to a show before the end of the year but I need to feel well to perform at the standard you all deserve. Playing for you every night is all I’ve ever dreamed of so this has been the most difficult decision of my life. I’ll be back as soon as I possibly can.”

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