Tyla cancels Roskilde Festival appearance

Roskilde Fest is Northern Europe’s largest music and arts extravaganza, drawing more than 150 000 fans annually. A statement on the event website attributes the development to “unforeseen circumstances.”

In February, it was announced that Tyla would open the Arena stage of the festival, just after she released her eponymous debut album, which includes the megahit ‘Water’. It appears that her decision to withdraw from her upcoming commitments is due to health reasons. 

In her statement, the artist said: “It saddens me to inform you that I will no longer be able to perform at the upcoming festivals  –  Roskilde, Palmesus, Open’er, Saga, and Montreux Jazz. I am currently undergoing physical therapy and gradually returning to regular performances.”

Earlier this year, the singer cancelled her first world tour on the advice of doctors due to an injury. However, until now it was still the plan that she would perform at Roskilde Festival. 

Tyla has quickly become one of the hottest names on the African music scene, recently taking home a Grammy in the new Best African Music Performance category for ‘Water’. This week she received two awards from four nominations at the 2024 BET Awards. 

In a similar development, Tuareg songwriter Mdou Moctar from Niger has also withdrawn from Roskilde due to visa issues. A festival statement expressed regret, stating: “Due to visa issues out of their control, Mdou Moctar unfortunately won’t be ready for the festival. The band sends their regards and expresses deep regret about missing the festival.” They have been replaced by the Burkinabe-Belgium trio Avalanche Kaito.

Other African acts slated for Roskilde 2024 include Titi Bakorta (DRC), Taqbir (Morocco), Amaarae (Ghana), Tems and Omah Lay (Nigeria), Deena Abdelwahed (Tunisia) and Sho Madjozi (South Africa), among others.