As the coronavirus continues to spread and many cities have issued a “stay at home” order, musicians are being forced to postpone and cancel tours and festivals are doing the same. Many big-name artists like Billie Eilish and the Foo Fighters are choosing to push back the dates of the tours in order to adhere to the practice of social distancing and curb the virus’ spread. Lady Gaga is the latest musician to follow suit. The pop singer postponed her Chromatica album release while revealing she had originally planned on making a surprise appearance at Coachella, but can no longer do so.
The singer addressed her tour postponement in a lengthy message to her fans on social media: “First of all, I want to make sure everyone is staying safe and practicing social distancing,” she wrote. “Please know that I’m thinking of you all.”
“I wanted to tell you, that after a lot of deliberation, I’ve made the incredibly tough decision to postpone the release of Chromatica. I will announce a new 2020 release date soon.
This is such a hectic and scary tie for all of us, and while I believe art is one of the strongest things we have to provide joy and healing to each other during times like this, it just doesn’t feel right to me to release this album with all that is going on during this global pandemic.
Instead I prefer that we spend this time focusing on finding solutions. It’s important to me that the attention is on getting essential medical equipment to healthcare professionals, making sure kids who depend on public schools for meals get the assistance they need, and that we help those who will be financially impacted by this pandemic.”
The singer added that her Las Vegas Residency at MGM will be postponed and that she was planning on a “secret” Coachella set that is no longer possible.
⚔️💓 pic.twitter.com/0vgqIEeBIz
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) March 24, 2020
Read Gaga’s full message above.
Check out more of Uproxx’s coverage on the coronavirus here.
