{"id":741020,"date":"2026-06-16T22:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T22:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/741020\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T22:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T22:11:15","slug":"stephen-sanchez-australia-new-zealand-tour-cancelled-fans-not-happy-with-musicians-reason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/741020\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen Sanchez Australia New Zealand tour cancelled: Fans not happy with musician\u2019s reason"},"content":{"rendered":"

Musician Stephen Sanchez<\/a> has cancelled his upcoming Australian and New Zealand tour<\/a>, sharing a lengthy post online about why \u2013 but fans are less than impressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old singer, who hit global fame after his songs High and Until I Found You became popular on TikTok<\/a>, took aim at \u201cheavily pornographic\u201d pop music<\/a> as he explained why he pulled out of the tour.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Singer Stephen Sanchez has cancelled his upcoming Australian and New Zealand tour leaving fans frustrated for his reasoning. \u00a0Photo by Rebecca Sapp\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n

The American pop star shared the news on Instagram<\/a> on Tuesday, after his second album Love, Love, Love failed to rocket up the charts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sitting in an airport<\/a> trying to express feelings that need so much context and so many details for everyone to understand in full,\u201d the lengthy text post started.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe cancellation of the NZ\/AU tour without explanation has left some of you with questions and I imagine some frustrated feelings as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sanchez noted that he is aware fans had hotels and flights booked, which is obviously frustrating, and revealed that an \u201cunannounced US tour\u201d was also going to be cancelled too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis part I can\u2019t make everyone understand,\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent the majority of 2025 working on LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. In short, what felt like never ending conflict, stress, anxiety and overall deeply negative energy surrounding the process and lead up to this album\u2019s release absolutely ruined this music for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt affected me so much that I wanted to quit making music altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n

But instead of stepping away, he went on his European and UK tour, hoping it would change his feelings, which it did not.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The musician shared a lengthy post on social media, explaining his reason for cancelling the upcoming shows.\u00a0Instagram\/@stephensanchezofficial<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead, I went on the EU\/UK tour because I thought it would change my feelings towards this album, it unfortunately did not\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI am incredibly lucky to be doing this job as much as you\u2019ve allowed me to. But, when all was said and done, what did make things better for me was to be home, to see my family and my friends outside of a green room, to have actual time to find purpose in making music again beyond just trying to make everyone happy all the time,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the post continued, Sanchez took aim at other music that was released while he was creating the album.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat made things even more discouraging for me was hearing some of the popular music that was coming out during the time I was working on this album,\u201d he continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Sanchez also hit out at other music which was released at the time he was making the album and the attitude of some other musicians.\u00a0Instagram\/@stephensanchezofficial<\/p>\n

\u201cMusic that people were somehow getting bought into every day. Disgusting, heavily pornographic lyrics, nothing driving people to do anything, to see anything different in a way that helps others along.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much of it felt dividing or shallow or filled with lust, not love.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sanchez added that he\u2019s sick of musicians sharing every part of their life online and doing things just in an attempt to \u201cgo viral\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so sick of that,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He finished the post by saying he would return to music \u201cwhen I feel that I\u2019ve created that space for myself\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The explanation has divided fans, which ultimately led to the singer turning the comments off on the post. \u00a0Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n

Fans initially flocked to the comments on the post, slamming him for the reason behind the cancelled tour<\/a> and his thoughts about other musicians.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The comments have since been turned off on his post and disappeared, but many fans questioned if low ticket sales were behind the sudden cancellation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Others praised him for stepping back and putting himself first.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sanchez was due to kick off the tour in New Zealand on Saturday July 11 in Christchurch, with seven shows scheduled between there and Australia, wrapping up in Perth on July 28.<\/p>\n