KT Tunstall pulls out of summer tours over hearing loss fears

Jul 28, 2021

Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall has pulled out of her upcoming live shows due to concerns about her hearing.

Tunstall, who is deaf in her left ear, says she has “experienced some issues” with tinnitus in her right ear, adding that’s how the hearing loss in her other ear began.

In a statement on Twitter, the Scottish singer said: “The decision to pull myself out of my Summer 2021 touring schedule has been an extremely difficult one to make.

Hey folks,

Sending love & thanks in advance to those of you who will have to wait a little longer until I see you, but I promise I *will* see you soon – in rude (and rocking) health! 🙏🏼⚡️

Much love, KT x pic.twitter.com/tu1T7TC0i9

“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.”

The 46-year-old added: “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.

“To move forward safely in my career, I must ensure that my touring schedule leaves adequate rest between smaller batches of shows.”

Tunstall said that it was “with huge regret and sadness” that she can’t join Hall & Oates on their upcoming tour, adding her headline shows would be rearranged in a “less intensive way” next year.

“I wish to play live and create music for the rest of my life, but to best ensure I will be able to do so, I must put my hearing health first as it could be the difference between being able to be a musician or not,” she said.

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“I love you, thank you always for your support and understanding, and I hope to see you somewhere before too long!”

She added that she will hopefully see fans soon “in rude (and rocking) health”.

Tinnitus is when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both of your ears. The noise isn’t caused by an external sound, and other people usually can’t hear it.

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