Earlier this month, the New York City Parks Department canceled Kehlani's planned June performance at Central Park SummerStage, a show that was billed as Pride With Kehlani. The cancelation came after Cornell University canceled a Kehlani show over the R&B star's vocal support of Gaza amidst Israel's campaign of genocide. Mayor Eric Adams' administration wrote a letter to the Parks Department citing "concerns for security and safety issues" after the Cornell cancellation. A planned Juneteenth show from Ravyn Lenae and Noname was also canceled. Now, the Denmark-born, London-based musician Astrid Sonne has canceled her own planned SummerStage performance in solidarity with Kehlani.
Astrid Sonne was scheduled to play Nordic Next, a free showcase of Scandinavian artists. That show is still set for June 15, with Anna Of The North and Sarah Klang. On Instagram, Sonne writes, "I was looking forward to playing at Summer Stages but I have chosen not to perform there due to the recent cancellation of Kehlani’s concert. it’s not right for me to perform in a concert series where artists are cancelled for taking a stand against the ongoing genocide in Gaza." Instead, she'll play the Brooklyn venue Baby's All Right on the same night.
