With live venues opening up again and artist after artist announcing new tours, it’s easy to think that the effects of COVID-19 on the music industry are finally fading away. So when British indie-pop artist Arlo Parks posted to social media Friday (July 23) that she had contracted the virus and would be canceling her upcoming performances, it was especially sad for fans who had been excited to see her live this weekend.
The “Eugene” singer, who just recently revealed she’d be joining Clairo on her 2022 North American tour, posted a screenshot of a message written in her Notes app, explaining that despite being “as careful as possible,” she had tested positive for COVID-19. She’d been scheduled to perform a show in support of her January album Collapsed In Sunbeams at The Waterfront Norwich, and was part of the lineup for the Latitude and Standon Calling festivals, but had to pull out of all three in order to self-isolate.
“I’m now stuck in isolation, sniffling in bed, feeling very upset to have let all you angels down,” the 20-year-old wrote. “I had butterflies in my tummy weeks in advance just picturing what it would be like to see your faces again.”
The singer also added that she was “so sorry to everybody who was looking forward to seeing me play,” but that “safety and health must be our priority always.”
One small silver lining is that COVID-19 didn’t take away Parks’ first chance at playing live since the pandemic began. She was able to perform for the first time in more than a year at the Manchester International Festival earlier in July. She said at the time on Instagram that “these first shows back were the nourishment I’d been looking for for 17 months!”
Parks ended her message with a promise to the fans who’d been planning on seeing her at the upcoming shows. “We will dance again,” she wrote. “But for now please stay safe, get vaccinated and wash your hands.”
Check out Parks’ announcement on Twitter:
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