Fans Rally for ‘Embarrassed’ Grammy-Nominee Having to Possibly Cancel Tour

On June 16, Grammy-nominated musician JP Saxe excitedly “invited” fans to get a ticket to his “Make Yourself At Home Tour” that was beginning on September 9. Unfortunately, less than two months later, he wrote another message to fans, telling them that, unless a lot more tickets were sold, that same tour would be canceled.

Saxe’s Ambitious Tour Hits a Snag as Ticket Sales Fall Short

Saxe released his two-part album this year. “Articulate Excuses” was released on April 18, and “Make Yourself At Home” on June 27. He was thrilled to be going on the road, telling fans in an Instagram post the plan. “We sing together (old songs and new), we feel like humans together, and we make new overthinker/overfeeler friends.”

But on July 28, it became clear that ticket sales were struggling.

“I’m extremely embarrassed to tell you this, but I’m going to tell you anyway,” he began in an Instagram video. “If I don’t sell twenty or so thousand tickets to my tour in the next forty-eight hours, it’s going to be cancelled. We’re just not in a place yet to sell out these two or 3k-cap venues, that’s fine. It’s always been my goal to connect deeply, not widely, and I stand by that.”

“Just in case you were waiting til the week of or night of to buy a ticket, that approach just isn’t going to work because there won’t be a show to buy a ticket to,” he continued. “Whether that happens or not, I’m grateful to you for caring about my songs. And I hold on to a sliver of hope that I will see you in the fall.”

On August 1, he posted an update. He revealed that, while a few thousand more tickets had been sold, it wasn’t enough to save the tour.

“I’m grateful to each of you who bought a ticket, and I’m really sorry,” he said.

Saxe’s Bold Take on Industry Pressures Wins Hearts and Respect from Celebrities

JP Saxe is best known for his 2019 song “If the World Was Ending,” which featured fellow Grammy-nominated singer Julia Michaels. It was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year in 2021, but lost to H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe.”

Along with his Instagram videos to his fans, Saxe also wrote a guest column in “Variety.” He explained the industry’s expectations versus what he chose to say. Many people, including unexpected voices, spoke up about how brave they thought he was for speaking the brutal truth.

“RESPECT,” rapper J Balvin commented.

“I wish everyone had this kind of authenticity,” Rita Wilson wrote. “Maybe because of you, we can all learn that truth is always the way to go.”