This November was supposed to mark the third iteration of Soulshine At Sea, a four-day concert cruise that goes from Miami, Florida to Cozumel, Mexico. Today, however, the fest's organizer Sixthman announced that the sold-out cruise has been canceled. Their statement didn't give a reason for the cancellation, but it looks like it has something to do with accusations of abusive behavior from the cruise's scheduled headliner, Michael Franti, who has denied the allegations.
Last week the singer-songwriter Victoria Canal posted a lengthy statement to her Instagram detailing a year-long abusive relationship with an older, established male artist who helped her launch her music career after he "plucked [her] out of the Internet" when she was 19 years old. "This person verbally admitted to me (while I was in an extremely vulnerable position) that getting me in this position had been his plan all along -- from the moment he saw my face on the Internet -- a confession that froze me in time, and debilitated my body from feeling pleasure and freedom for years and years," Canal wrote.
While Canal didn't name the Spearhead frontman in the statement, Franti himself has gushed about discovering Canal on Instagram in 2018, when she would have been about 19 years old. A few days after Canal shared her initial statement, she followed it up with another Instagram post with screenshots of messages detailing similar allegations of abusive behavior from the same person; many details in those messages align with stories people have shared about Franti on Reddit.
After Canal's posts, Tank And The Bangas announced that they'd dropped off their upcoming tour supporting Michael Franti & Spearhead. "While we are not aware of any specific details related to the matter, in light of the recent post made about the artist, we have made the difficult decision to not participate," reads their post, for which Canal thanked them on her Instagram stories. Dispatch, Maggie Rose, Hirie, and Liz Vice – all of whom were scheduled to perform at Soulshine At Sea – subsequently announced they'd be dropping off of the cruise, citing allegations involving another artist on the lineup.
"We are actively working to announce a new event that will sail November 4-8, 2025," Sixthman added in their statement about the Soulshine At Sea cancellation. "Additional details will be shared tomorrow, Monday, August 18. As we communicated on Friday to booked guests, all guests will be offered options regarding their reservations, which include a full refund or future Sixthman credit." Shortly after that news, Franti issued a statement of his own, confirming that he had been in a romantic relationship outside his marriage with an artist with whom he was working. "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."
See the relevant posts below.
UPDATE: Franti is no longer represented by his management company, Activist Artist Management, and ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) have now canceled their upcoming shows with him as well.
