Yusuf Islam, known professionally as Cat Stevens, has postponed the North American leg of his book tour due to unspecified visa issues, the singer announced on social media. The tour was scheduled to support his memoir, Cat on the Road to Findout, which is due for US release on 7 October and was already published in the UK in September.
In a statement, Stevens wrote that his team had waited months for visa approvals but that “production logistics necessary for my show cannot be arranged in time”. He expressed disappointment for fans who had purchased tickets and made travel plans. The postponement also affects a stop in Toronto, Canada, scheduled for 8 October.
The British singer-songwriter rose to fame in the 1960s and converted to Islam in the late 1970s, putting his secular music career on hold for two decades. He returned to performing in the 2000s and last toured North America in 2014. The current tour was described as an “in-depth conversation on the memoir and acoustic performances”.
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 book release itself will not be affected, as Stevens noted that “books don’t need visas!”
