Ezra Furman has announced to fans that she will be taking a break from touring, due to the “pressure and exhaustion” it causes.
The American singer-songwriter announced the planned hiatus on her social media pages, revealing that once she completes her upcoming leg of UK shows, she will be holding off on any more tours for “an undecided amount of time”.
In the post, shared yesterday (August 15), Furman explained that there are an array of factors that led to her decision, including “a popular explosion of transphobia”, “increasingly corporate-owned music venues”, “COVID-19’ and “the demands of motherhood”.
She also revealed that she has faced various “unsettling” encounters with her audience in recent times that have made the thought of hitting the road increasingly difficult.
The overarching factor that led to her decision, she explained, is the physical and emotional toll that touring can lead to – saying that 17 years of live shows has taken a “major impact” on her life.
“After the upcoming UK shows (Aug. 27-Sep. 3), I’m going on an open-ended hiatus from touring. No shows outside of my hometown of Boston, for an undecided amount of time. Could be a permanent change, could be different in a year, I just don’t know,” she wrote in the update.
“There are many reasons for this. The best way to summarize it is that I’ve been doing this exhausting and wonderful work for something like seventeen years now (!) and I am tired,” she continued. “Recent events including a popular explosion of transphobia, increasingly corporate-owned music venues, COVID-19, the demands of motherhood and some unsettling audience encounters have made it all the more difficult for me.
“Even without that stuff, any sort of touring is effing difficult. The pressure and the exhaustion are immense. It has a major impact on the body and mind and the structure of one’s life, Furman added.
“Since I was a teenager (other than the ’20-’21 heavy Covid times) there has never been even a 6-month period of my life without touring. That’s because I love it and I have always loved it and always will. But it’s time for me to explore life without it, and follow my instincts of what’s necessary to take care of myself.”
Later in the post, she also clarified that her hiatus from touring should not be misconstrued as her being “done” with music and creativity, as she still plans to write more music going forward.
Furman’s next upcoming UK show will take place at Tramshed in Cardiff on August 31. The final of her upcoming gigs will be held at the O2 Ritz venue in Manchester on September 2. Find remaining tickets to the UK live shows here.
Ezra Furman began touring as a solo artist in 2011, following the split of the Harpoons that same year. Originally, the group were together from 2006, however, following their disbandment, Furman spent the next decade touring as a solo artist.
She also released six albums in her time as a solo act, including her most recent LP ‘All Of Us Flames’, which arrived last year. In a three-star review of the album, NME described it as capturing a sense of “anger, aspiration and an unflinching attitude”.
“Though the album encapsulates the struggle of a collective community of queer people who emerge from a semi-secret society, it also encompasses the intersections of Furman’s experiences – that of being a transgender woman and Jewish,” it reads. “Without being preachy, the musician teases out their co-ordinance – namely that the Bible is mostly concerned with uplifting the weak.”
“It can feel a little heavy and dragging, which leaves you to wonder: for once, might a more stripped-back approach work better to really deliver the intended message?” it continues. “Where it works best is that clear marriage of anger and aspiration, interwoven with Furman’s melodic drawl, musical tenderness and reverb. In parts, though, ‘All of Us Flames’ is an example that sometimes less is more.”
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