The scandal surrounding singer Michael Franti continues to grow.
Following allegations of grooming and sexual abuse, the reggae pop singer has canceled his 2025 tour and been dropped by his management. This comes after the cancellation of Soulshine at Sea earlier this week, a concert cruise which Franti curated and was scheduled to headline.
“This is one of the hardest messages I’ve ever had to write,” Franti posted on social media, explaining his decision to cancel all 2025 shows. “Recent events online have left me disheartened and my spirit isn’t in the place it needs to be to get on stage and give you the joy and energy you deserve.”
READ MORE: Soulshine at Sea Tour Canceled Amid Michael Franti Controversy
The tumultuous week began after singer Victoria Canal, whom Franti discovered and took on tour in 2018, brought to light her traumatic experience with a “very powerful” older musician when she was 19. Among her allegations, Canal claimed the man photographed her without consent, part of his ongoing “history of incredibly damaging behavior.” Though she didn’t mention Franti by name, fans quickly pieced things together.
In a post of his own, Franti responded by acknowledging cheating on his wife, but insisted the long affair was consensual.
In the days since Canal’s allegations have become public, other women have come forward with similar claims against Franti, including Carla Swanson, who co-founded Soulshine yoga resort hotel in Bali with Franti in 2011, musician Makina Kaili, and one of Franti’s longtime fans, Minda Lane.
In a lengthy Substack post, Lane claimed that Franti stripped naked in front of her shortly after they met, and later pressured her into sexualized exchanges over video. She also recalled instances of public “misconduct,” including when Franti told her to was jeans with “a hole in the crotch and no underwear” at a music festival. “He only said what he needed to to keep me in thrall so I would remain available when he wanted to use me,” she wrote in part.
Activist Artist Management, Franti’s longtime representation, has not officially commented on the situation, however Variety confirmed that they no longer manage the singer.
