Astrid Sonne drops off SummerStage show following Kehlani cancellation

Astrid Sonne has dropped off her SummerStage show following the cancellation of Kehlani’s show for the series. She writes on Instagram, “please note that the show in New York on June 15 is moved from Summer Stages to Baby’s All Right. I was looking forward to playing at Summer Stages but I have chosen not to perform there due to the recent cancellation of Kehlani’s concert. it’s not right for me to perform in a concert series where artists are cancelled for taking a stand against the ongoing genocide in Gaza. glad to be playing at Baby’s All Right instead with support from amazing Anysia Kym hope to see you there xx.”

Tickets are on sale now for the Baby’s All Right show.

Astrid had been on the lineup for Nordic Next, a free show with Jakob, Sarah Klang, and Joalin. The lineup, as it currently stands, has Anna of the North with Klang. Neither Jakob nor Joalin appear to have commented on why they aren’t performing.

Another SummerStage show, a ticketed Juneteenth celebration with Noname, Ravyn Lenae, and Fana Hues on June 18, was also cancelled not long after Kehlani’s show was. Hell Gate reported first on that cancellation, and a representative on behalf of City Parks Foundation’s executive director Heather Lubov told Rolling Stone, “City Parks Foundation SummerStage did not cancel the Juneteenth/Noname benefit concert originally scheduled for June 18. This cancellation is a matter between Live Nation, the producer of the concert, and the artist. A reason for cancellation was not provided to SummerStage.”

Since then, Rolling Stone reports that 13 NYC city council members have signed a letter calling for SummerStage to reinstate both Kehlani and Noname’s shows and “recommit to your publicly stated values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and the First Amendment rights to free speech and artistic expression that serve as the bedrock of our democracy.”

“It appears that the cancellation of Kehlani and Noname’s shows have little to do with ‘security concerns’ and more to do with the artists’ political views against the devastating bombardment and humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” the letter reads. “This moment is about what New York City stands for and whether we will stand in solidarity against the growing tide of authoritarianism and a new era of McCarthyism that threatens the ability of everyone to participate equitably in public discourse.”

Noname, Ravyn Lenae, and Fana Hues haven’t commented publicly on the cancellation of the show, and Lenae recently announced two new NYC shows, at Brooklyn Paramount on October 13 and Terminal 5 on October 19.