Cat Stevens postpones book tour of North America due to visa issues

[groundloop]

Source: The Guardian

Cat Stevens, who now goes by Yusuf Islam, has postponed the North American leg of his book tour due to unspecified visa issues, the singer announced on social media Monday.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member was set to tour in support of his book, Cat on the Road to Findout, which will release in the US on 7 October and was made available in the UK earlier in September. The book release won’t be impacted, Islam wrote, noting that “books don’t need visas!”

Islam is the latest in a string of international musicians and athletes impacted by visa issues, as fees have increased in the past year and processing times have slowed.

Islam wrote that his team waited months for visa approvals, but “at this point, the production logistics necessary for my show cannot be arranged in time”.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/30/cat-stevens-postpones-book-tour-visa

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. tRump / Project 2025 are impoverishing and narrowing the cultural vibrancy of the US. . . . nt

[relayerbob]

2. "Yusuf Islam who used Cat Stevens for a stage name for a little while"

Cat Stevens was not his real name, ever.

[DBoon]

5. Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop agree with you

That's why they tour as Vincent Damon Furnier and James Newell Osterberg Jr. respectively

[lastlib]

3. That's all right, I wasn't going anyway

He lost me when he approved the fatwa against Salman Rushdie. I had no problem with him adopting Islam--a man's conscience is his own. But approving the fatwa was just wrong on too many levels.

[maxsolomon]

10. and that's likely the reason his Visa was rejected.

petty and paranoid, that's our State Dept.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

6. I know, , I know. But I've been a fan since Matthew & Son, and I still listen to his music all the time.

Saw him perform live twice. My sister, just as a regular fan, approached him in public once and he was incredibly, incredibly nice to her. I'll always love him for that (and be jealous!).

[70sEraVet]

7. "We don't need no steenkin' Peace Train!"

[BWdem4life]

8. Sadly, nobody under 30 even knows who he is

I once sang "Wild World" on karaoke and was surprised to see a young person paying attention. Later I found out that the song had recently been "sampled" by a newer artist.

[LittleGirl]

9. I watched him perform in the UK

I love his music. I don't care about his religion, I love his music.

[AZ8theist]

11. Worst music EVER.