Stormzy cancels his Australian and New Zealand tour dates; pulls out of Spilt Milk

British rapper Stormzy has canceled the Australian and New Zealand legs of his tour and retired from his headline performance at Spilled Milk Festival.

The British grime sensation was set to make an appearance at the music, food and arts festival in Canberra, Ballarat and the Gold Coast in December, following performances in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Wellington and Auckland.

But the 29-year-old said he had to cancel due to “circumstances beyond his control,” with rising American star Steve Lacy set to replace him at Spilled Milk.

“It is with the greatest of heart to inform you that I have to cancel my international commitments for the rest of the year, including my tour of Australia and New Zealand,” the Vossi Bop star said in a statement.

“You’ve waited so patiently, and I’m so sorry this has to happen after all these ups and downs. I love you and I promise to be back as soon as possible with a show that is bigger and better than ever.”

The king of British rap, who received praise for his seven-minute new release Mel Made Me Do It last week, had originally planned his Heavy is the Head world tour for 2020, but it was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 29-year-old Vossi Bop rapper had to cancel due to ‘circumstances beyond his control’, with rising American star Steve Lacy (pictured) replacing him at Spilled Milk

Many Spilled Milk cardholders have been stunned by the news, with some wondering why he wasn’t replaced by another rapper.

Steve Lacy rose to fame as a member of the popular funk and soul group The Internet and had chart success with alternative R&B hits, including Bad Habits.

Also known as the coolest person in the world, Steve Lacy joins the Spilled Milk 2022 lineup alongside Flume, The Wombats, FISHER, Spacey Jane and more. Steve will replace Stormzy as unfortunately he has had to cancel all of his international tour dates,” Spilled Milk read a Facebook post.

The festival offers refunds for the change in lineup. Tickets go back on sale on October 6.

The festival offers refunds for the change in lineup. Tickets go back on sale on October 6th

Hundreds of fans complained on social media about the lineup change, with one writing, “You’re kidding.”

“I’m so angry,” another added, while a third said they were “appalled” and “more than disappointed” by the news.

“I’ve been busy seeing Stormzy. What a great start to the day. I don’t even want to go now,” wrote one disgruntled festival-goer.

Stormzy is the latest in a string of international stars to retire from performances Down Under.

When he kicked off his UK and Ireland tour in March, Stormzy thrilled fans by sharing footage showing he was recording new music

American rapper Polo G withdrew from the Listen Out festival this month.

Half of the English electro duo Disclosure also withdrew from Listen Out to ‘take care of his mental health’.

Nigerian singer Burna Boy canceled his Sydney performances within days of its announcement.

Stormzy is the latest in a string of international stars to withdraw from performances Down Under, with Nigerian singer Burna Boy canceling his Sydney performances within days of its announcement