Edinburgh singer KT Tunstall forced to cancel upcoming tour dates over hearing loss fears

The BRIT Award winner was due to play shows in both North America and the UK, as well as a string of support dates with 80s pop band Hall & Oates, which were due to start next week.

Announcing her change of plans in a statement, the 46-year-old said: “The decision has been an extremely difficult one to make.

“Playing live has been my life for 20 years and my deepest passion.”

In an interview with the BBC, Tunstall said she suffered tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and lost all hearing in her left ear in 2018.

“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,” she added.

“After a recent run of consecutive shows and travel in July, I have experienced some issues with my right ear; a small amount of tinnitus – which is exactly how the breakdown of my left ear began."

In future, Tunstall said she will need to play shorter runs of dates with longer rest periods in between show.

She went on to apologise to her fans and to Hall & Oates and their team for the change in tour plans.

“Hall & Oates, the band, management, crew, fans, and organizers, have all been so wonderful to me,” she said.

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