Janelle Monae Cancels Australian Tour

American R&B and soul singer Janelle Monae has canceled all shows on her Australian tour due to an unexpected illness.

Monae had to back out of her first two shows with New Zealand pop star Kimbra, according to The New Zealand Herald, initially postponing the rest of her shows until she could get medical attention. Subsequent shows were planned to be moved to smaller venues. Since then, the situation has gotten worse and Monae’s entire Australian tour has been completely abandoned.

The Golden Electric Tour, as it was called before cancellation, didn’t start off on the right foot. Janelle Monae had to cancel her very first show due to a “tight touring schedule,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald. On the second night, Kimbra even announced that Janelle was going to show up after the opening performance, but she never came out. The illness that Monae has contracted has not been revealed to the public, so fans will have to assume (and hope) it’s nothing serious.

Live Nation, the promoter of Janelle’s tour, released the following statement about the cancellation: “Due to Janelle Monae’s continuing illness it has been confirmed that the remainder of The Golden Electric Tour has been cancelled and there will be no rescheduled performances.” Live Nation plans to release another statement on Wednesday about possible ticket refunds.

This is not the first time Janelle Monae has had to disappoint fans for the sake of her own physical health. Late last year during her previous tour Janelle postponed several shows to allow time for vocal rest.

Monae’s illness won’t likely keep her down for long. Janelle has released three extremely successful albums since 2007, blending elements of soul, rhythm and blues, funk, and experimental music into a style uniquely her own. Whenever she’s well, Monae performs with energy, grace, and impressive vocal talent. Despite her current sickness, the singer recently appeared on Maya Rudolph’s new show and performed her song “Electric Lady.” You can see that performance here:

While there hasn’t been any word from Janelle herself via her Twitter account, Kimbra posted the following tweets about the situation and Janelle’s condition:

Biggest hugs to the electric lady @janellemonae right now as she recovers. No Opera house tonight but… http://t.co/DnKADFT7Dc

— Kimbra (@kimbramusic) May 19, 2014

So disappointed that we can’t continue the #goldenelectrictour – we wish @JanelleMonae the speediest of recoveries. We will be back. X

— Kimbra (@kimbramusic) May 20, 2014