Kanye West Postpones Gig in France a Week After Being Banned from the U.K. amid Controversy

NEED TO KNOW

• Kanye West has postponed a concert in Marseille, France, that was set for June 11

• The 48-year-old announced on X that it was his “sole decision” after officials were reportedly looking at banning the event

• London’s Wireless Festival, which West was set to headline, was canceled last week after the rapper was banned from the U.K.

Kanye “Ye” West has postponed a concert in France scheduled for the summer amid reports that officials had considered banning the event.

The rapper, 48, was set to perform at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille on June 11 as part of a run of comeback shows over the coming months. However, he announced via X on Tuesday, April 14 that the concert would be postponed “until further notice.”

“After much thought and consideration, it is my sole decision to postpone my show in Marseille, France until further notice,” West wrote.

West — who has faced widespread criticism for antisemitic comments and controversial actions in recent years — then said in a follow-up post, “I know it takes time to understand the sincerity of my commitment to make amends.”

“I take full responsibility for what’s mine but I don’t want to put my fans in the middle of it. My fans are everything to me,” he continued, adding that he was looking forward to his next shows, which include dates in India, Turkey, Spain, and more.

His comments came following criticism of the June 11 concert from the mayor of Marseille, Benoît Payan, and French interior minister Laurent Nuñez.

Payan wrote in a translated post on X in March that he would “refuse to let Marseille be a showcase for those who promote hatred,” while a source close to Nuñez told the Agence France-Presse (AFP) that he was “highly determined” to ban the event, per the BBC.

West’s decision to postpone the Marseille concert himself comes a week after he was denied entry to the U.K., leading to the cancellation of London’s Wireless Festival.

The rapper was set to headline all three nights of the July festival, but organizers announced via Instagram on Tuesday, April 7, “As a result of the Home Office banning YE from entering the United Kingdom, Wireless Festival has been forced to cancel.”

Earlier that day, he released a statement of his own via Festival Republic. He said his goal was to “present a show of change, bringing. unity, peace, and love through my music,” and expressed a desire to “meet with members of the Jewish community in the U.K.”

West has been widely criticized in recent years following multiple public antisemitic comments, but he has attempted to publicly distance himself from them in recent months. In an open letter funded by his Yeezy brand and published in The Wall Street Journal on Jan. 26, he said that his hurtful remarks and erratic behavior were caused by bipolar disorder.

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He wrote in the open letter, “I regret and am deeply mortified by my actions in that state, and am committed to accountability, treatment, and meaningful change. It does not excuse what I did, though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”

“I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home,” West’s letter concluded.

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