Saint Levant has postponed his North American tour until next year, just weeks before he was due to begin performing across the US and Canada.
The Palestinian-Algerian singer and rapper, whose real name is Marwan Abdelhamid, was scheduled to begin the North American leg of his Afandi World Tour in September, with shows planned in the US at stops including Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, San Diego and Los Angeles, as well as the Canadian cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Announcing the postponement on Tuesday, Saint Levant said additional background checks on his US visa application could take several months to complete.
“For the last couple of years, I’ve been having major US visa issues. After the initial approval of my visa application to come see you in the US, I’ve been unexpectedly asked to undergo additional background checks, which could take a number of months,” he shared on Instagram.
The North American leg has now been pushed back to spring 2027. The rescheduled tour is due to begin in Ottawa on March 19, followed by several dates in Canada before the US shows start in Boston on March 27.
Saint Levant said the decision was made after consulting his lawyers, and speaking to other Palestinian and Arab artists who had experienced similar problems.
“I was really looking forward to seeing you all, and I can’t wait to share the beautiful show we have been working on in 2027,” he said. “I’m incredibly sorry for the disappointment and apologise to all my fans. I wish I could speak more (one day, inshallah).”
He signed the message Sam7ooni – Arabic for “forgive me” – followed by his first name, Marwan.
Existing tickets will be honoured for the rescheduled concerts, while refunds will also be available on request. Saint Levant said additional shows have also been added.
Why were the Canadian shows postponed too?
Although Saint Levant has specifically cited problems obtaining a US visa, the Canadian concerts have also been moved to next year, prompting some fans on social media to question why those dates could not go ahead as planned.
Saint Levant has not addressed the issue directly. However, international tours are generally organised as a single operation, with significant shared costs and logistics involving crew, equipment, transport, travel and accommodation.
Keeping the Canadian and US concerts together therefore allows the North American tour to operate as one continuous run rather than mounting a separate series of Canadian shows while the artist's ability to enter the US remains unresolved.
Under the new schedule, the tour will begin with several Canadian dates before crossing into the US and eventually returning to Canada for the final concerts.
US visa rules tighten
Saint Levant's difficulties come amid wider changes to US visa and immigration policy under President Donald Trump.
Last month, the US ordered a global pause on immigrant visa appointments while consular officers undergo additional training, with applicants from Middle Eastern countries among those affected.
The State Department has also significantly increased visa scrutiny, and said in August that more than 175,000 immigrant and non-immigrant visas had been revoked since Trump returned to office.
There is no indication that the pause on immigrant visa appointments is connected to Saint Levant's case. He has not disclosed what type of US visa he applied for or why he was asked to undergo further background checks.
Advocate for Palestine
Saint Levant, 25, has been an outspoken advocate for Palestine throughout his career, regularly addressing Palestinian identity, displacement and the war in Gaza through his music, performances and social media posts.
Palestine was central to his work even before he achieved international recognition. His early releases included Jerusalem Freestyle, while his 2023 EP From Gaza, With Love explored his relationship with the place where he spent much of his childhood.
His 2024 debut album, Deira, was named after the hotel his father built on the Gaza coast in 2000. Saint Levant and his family lived at the hotel during his childhood before leaving Gaza for Jordan. The building was later destroyed during the war in Gaza.
He also used his Coachella debut in 2024 to speak about Gaza, telling the audience that he hoped to draw attention to the Palestinian people and dedicating his set to them.
The visa delay comes during a period of growing international prominence for the singer.
In June, Saint Levant became the first Palestine-born ambassador for Italian luxury fashion house Prada. The appointment followed collaborations with other major fashion brands and further cemented his profile beyond music.
Born in Jerusalem in October 2000 to a Palestinian-Serbian father and Algerian-French mother, Saint Levant spent his early childhood in Gaza before his family moved to Jordan. He later moved to the US, where he studied international relations at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
He rose to international prominence after his multilingual track Very Few Friends went viral in 2022. His music moves between Arabic, English and French, and blends R&B and hip-hop with influences from across the Arab world, while his Palestinian heritage has remained a central theme.
His latest album, Afandi, was released in August and is the focus of the world tour, which also includes shows in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Switzerland in Europe, as well as across the Middle East and North Africa.
Saint Levant is also scheduled to perform in Dubai at Dopa World Festival, a three-day event focused on young Arab music, culture and creative businesses, on December 19.
