Dispatch, Maggie Rose, Hirie, and Liz Vice are among the artists that were originally slated to set sail on Soulshine at Sea 3, but after the artists began pulling out of the lineup, festival promoter Sixthman announced on Sunday that the event headlined by Michael Franti and scheduled for Nov. 4-8 was canceled.
“In light of recent events, the Soulshine at Sea with Michael Franti event scheduled for November 4-8, 2025, is cancelled,” Sixthman posted on Soulshine at Sea’s website. “We are actively working to announce a new event that will sail November 4-8, 2025. Additional details will be shared tomorrow, Monday, August 18.” The original concert cruise was scheduled to sail from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico aboard Norwegian Jewel and featured wellness and cooking activities alongside live performances.
Following news of the cancellation, Franti issued a statement on Sunday, acknowledging he had a “relationship” with an unnamed artist outside of his marriage. “I’m aware of the recent posts this artist made about our relationship, and while I support her need to express herself publicly, the relationship was completely consensual, based on mutual feelings and attraction.”
“I vehemently dispute any version of the story that says otherwise,” he continued. “I will however take full accountability for not better recognizing the power imbalance as she was younger than me, and I was the headliner on tour. For those reasons alone, I never should have allowed the relationship to become romantic.” (Reps for Sixthman and Franti did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s requests for comment.)
Several of the artists pulled out citing recent allegations made by an unnamed accuser and unnamed alleged abuser. “We’ve decided we will no longer be performing at Soulshine at Sea. We have been made aware of deeply concerning public allegations involving another artist on the lineup and have chosen to withdraw from the event,” Dispatch posted on Facebook on Saturday. “We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.”
Maggie Rose wrote via Instagram stories: “I’ve made the decision to no longer perform at Soulshine at Sea. There were some allegations made by a peer of mine about another artist on the lineup and I want to stand in solidarity with her. I hope you understand my decision and I appreciate your support.”
“Recently, troubling allegations have surfaced regarding a key figure connected to the event,” Hirie wrote announcing her pulling out of the event. “While I’m not here to pass judgement or speak on what did or didn’t happen, I feel it’s important for me to take a pause out of respect for all parties involved and to give space for the situation to be addressed.”
Liz Vice wrote: “After learning of concerning allegations, I’ve chosen to withdraw from the event. Stay woke and believe victims.”
The news of the dropouts was shared by musician Victoria Canal via her Instagram stories, where she reposted the aforementioned artists’ posts. Earlier in the week, Canal had accused an unnamed “very powerful” man in the music industry of sexually abusing and grooming her when she was 19. “This is something I’ve never spoken about publicly, and have been holding for 8 years now – it has plagued my body, spirit, and mind, in subliminal and overt ways, for my entire 20s,” Canal wrote via Instagram on Aug. 11.
She alleged that when she was 19, a “very powerful, decades older man plucked me out of the internet, and college, and invited me on my first professional opportunity.” In her post, shared on her 27th birthday, she said she would not name the alleged abuser “because I can’t risk the financial loss or emotional terror a lawsuit would bring.”
Canal described the alleged abuser as initially being “loving, charismatic, and principled,” with a family and a dedicated following. “However, behind closed doors, this person has a history of incredibly damaging behavior across the board, and has a team of enablers around him who have fiercely protected his image, perpetuating this behavior for decades,” the singer wrote.
The alleged abuser, Canal wrote, began touching her and taking pictures of her “without my awareness or consent,” she alleged. “These behaviors progressed over a year, slowly keeping me more isolated in a highly unfamiliar and contained environment,” Canal continued. “At the time, this person made me believe that if I ever told anyone what he was doing, my career would be over before it started.”
She added that the alleged perpetrator led her to believe that if she told anyone, “my career would be over before it started. Following more than a year of the alleged abuse and grooming, Canal wrote that the alleged abuser “verbally admitted” that “getting me in this position had been his plan all along.”
Canal wrote that her “world ruptured.” “It’s been a long and evolving journey in reclaiming my emotional and spiritual health,” she added. While she did not name her alleged abuser, Canal made clear “the person I’m referring to is not among the mentors that have championed me since I got signed to a major label in 2022.”
A rep for Canal said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone: “It feels very liberating for Victoria to speak on her experience as she continues to heal. She hopes sharing can help young women entering the world of music to keep their eyes open and protect themselves.”
