Why did Nyashinski announce cancellation of his most anticipated US tour? Details explored

Kenyan rapper Nyashinski was scheduled to perform as part of the Madaraka Festival 2024 celebratory tour from May 25, 2024, to June 18, 2024, across the US. However, in an Instagram post, the singer announced the cancellation of the tour because they couldn't get a US visa for the duration.

In an Instagram post, from Sunday, May 19, 2024, the singer wrote that they had to cancel their performance as the organizers were unable to get US visas for his team.

"We regret to announce that due to factors beyond our control, we will be unable to perform at the USA Madaraka Festival 2024. Despite the organisers' diligent efforts, they could not secure visas for our teams’ entry into the US. We had very much looked forward to the tour we sincerely apologize for all the inconvenience this has caused," the singer wrote.

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US Ambassador to Kenya justifies visa denial amidst Nyashinski tour cancellation

Before Nyashinski announced the cancellation of his tour, the US Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, spoke about why they deny visa applications. She was speaking to a local Kenyan station on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, and said that they denied the visa applications as a lot of people want to harm the US.

"We do deny people visas and are we always right? No. But are we mostly right? Yes. Think about it everyone wants to come to America and some bad people want to come to America. Terrorists, money launders, people who have overstayed their visas before, people who have let their Green Card expire and then come back," Whitman said.

The Ambassador continued to say that while it is a minority, there are people who "wish America harm," which is why they "have to be thoughtful."

"We have to be quite careful because there are people who wish America harm. It is a minority of people but what I always say is you have to be thoughtful. You all remember the 911 hijackers. How would you like to be the Visa officer who let in the 911 hijackers? You would live with that for the rest of your life," she added.

However, it is unclear why Nyashinski and his team were denied the US visa. No clarification for the reason was provided by either the singer, his team, or the US Immigration Services. Additionally, the Festival also hadn't made any comment about the singer's cancellation.

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More about Nyashinski and his career

Nyashinski is a Kenyan rapper who was born on April 8, 1984, and raised in Nairobi. He began showcasing his musical talents early on in life and also started the band, Kleptomaniax with Robert Manyasa and Collins Majale in 1999. The band was nominated for the debut Best African Act award at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards.

In 2006, Nyashinski and his family moved to Delaware, where he worked as a truck driver after quitting music for some time. The musician spoke about his experience in the US during an exclusive interview with Kenya Diaspora News published on May 2, 2019.

"It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. Growing up with that attention from my music may have stunted me somewhat. I was happy to leave Kenya. I had started getting tired of keeping up with the momentum of releasing good music. Plus the allure of the US we saw in movies was enticing," the singer said.

Nyashinski released his debut studio album, Lucky You, in 2020. The album was followed by a few solo singles in the subsequent years, with the latest one, Perfect Design, being released in 2023. More recently, the singer collaborated with Bien on the single Time of My Life.