Michael Franti cancels tour as more sexual abuse allegations surface
'This is one of the hardest messages I've ever had to write,' Franti posted on social media Wednesday, Aug. 20. 'Recent events online have left me disheartened and my spirit isn't in the place it needs to be to get on stage and give you the joy and energy you deserve.'
The Oakland-born frontman for Spearhead and the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy added, 'The remaining dates on the Welcome to the Family Tour will be canceled. I'm devastated to disappoint you, but I hope you understand that I need this pause to be with my family.'
A concert was originally scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26, at Saratoga's Mountain Winery. Promoter AXS said tickets would be refunded automatically.
The tour cancellation comes less than a week after Spanish American singer Victoria Canal alleged in an Instagram post that she was groomed and abused by a 'very powerful' older musician when she was 19.
Canal did not name Franti in her Aug. 11 post, but she has previously credited him with discovering her in 2018 and inviting her on tour.
Later that same day, Franti, a frequent face at Bay Area festivals such as Stern Grove and BottleRock Napa Valley, took to his Instagram account to acknowledge a romantic relationship with an unnamed artist outside his marriage but denied any abuse.
'The relationship was completely consensual, based on mutual feelings and attraction,' he wrote.
Canal described the man as controlling and abusive in private. She alleged that he photographed her without consent and isolated her from others, saying the experience 'plagued my body, spirit, and mind' throughout her 20s.
A few days later, Canal shared similar allegations sent to her by Carla Swanson, who co-founded Soulshine yoga resort hotel in Bali with Franti in 2011, and Wyoming musician Makina Kaili.
Yet another voice joined the controversy on Wednesday.
Writer Minda Lane published a lengthy Substack post recounting her experience with Franti between 2008 and 2017. She described herself as a longtime fan and admitted she initially welcomed his attention but later came to see a troubling pattern of behavior.
She claimed that Franti once stripped naked in front of her shortly after they met, later pushed her into sexualized exchanges over webcam and alternated between affectionate and dismissive treatment that left her confused and seeking his approval.
Lane also recalled instances she described as public 'misconduct,' including what she said was an appearance at a festival in jeans with 'a hole in the crotch and no underwear.'
'I didn't think of it as being groomed,' Lane wrote. 'Instead, I thought a dream was coming true. I thought I had manifested the experience through the sheer ardor and conviction I carried for his music and his causes.
'What I realize now is that he probably never meant the sweet or complimentary things he said to me,' she continued. 'He only said what he needed to keep me in thrall so I would remain available when he wanted to use me.'
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