Karol G at Coachella was a global hit. Yet other foreign acts fear touring the US

On the first Sunday night time of Coachella, headliner Karol G informed her American followers, and her global viewers, to maintain preventing.

“This is for my Latinos who have been struggling in this country lately,” the Colombian celebrity informed the tens of hundreds watching her in individual, and lots of extra on the fest’s livestream. She’d lately criticized ICE in a Playboy interview, however this set was about her followers’ resolve. “We want everyone to feel welcome to our culture, so I want everyone to feel proud of where you come from. Don’t feel fear — feel pride!” she stated.

Any artist can be proud to play that caliber of headline slot. But proper now, many foreign acts additionally really feel fear — or at least wariness — about reserving substantial excursions in the United States. A 12 months of brutal ICE raids, tensions at border crossings and policed ​​political speech, coupled with sky-high costs for expedited visas, gasoline and other touring logistics, might push worldwide acts away from the US

“The fears that ICE would raid shows didn’t really materialize, but there is a chilling effect,” stated Andy Gensler, editor of the touring-biz commerce bible Pollstar. “Trump’s only been back in office a year, so we haven’t fully seen the effects, but it does send a message that if you’re a political artist you won’t get a visa. With the economic shock of gas prices and tourism way down, the meanings are out there.”

The music financial system continues to be thriving in SoCal. Coachella bought out with document spending from followers, and fears that ICE may present up for a distinguished Latin headliner proved unfounded. (The company didn’t reply to a request for touch upon Coachella, and Lt. Deirdre Vickers of the Riverside County Sheriff’s workplace stated that their workplace “does not participate in immigration enforcement operations.”)

But in smaller venues that includes rising and mid-tier global acts, some see hassle forward.

Pollstar’s Gensler estimates that the whole variety of concert events in the US they tracked for the first quarter of 2026 was down about 17% from final 12 months. That could possibly be because of many financial components — however slower worldwide touring could possibly be contributing.

“The US is still incredibly lucrative market, the arena and stadium level buildings are vast and you can make more money here than any market in the world,” Gensler stated. “But I’ve heard anecdotally that fewer people are going to South by Southwest, and tourism from Canada is way down, and that includes music tourism to California. As barriers go up, and the economic shock of gas prices impacts touring, it’s hard to know how that will all shake out.”

Talent corporations who concentrate on bringing younger acts to the US started noticing pullback earlier than this 12 months’s competition season. Adam Lewis is the head of Planetary Group, a advertising company that produces and selling musician showcases in the US, with a important roster of artists from overseas. He stated that performers who ordinarily would leap at the probability to play US festivals are taking arduous seems to be at the payoffs and dangers.

“Artists are thinking twice, based on what the government is doing right now,” Lewis stated. “You can look at the economics — the fees are cost prohibitive to get a visa. People are scared, at the bottom line. Artists and industry people are afraid to come to the US for any music event. The money is going elsewhere.”

South by Southwest, the March Texas confab for music, movie and tech, was amongst the first festivals to really feel a pinch this 12 months. Several sources stated they noticed fewer foreign showcases and acts amongst a broader culling of music. In 2025, Canada canceled its in style annual showcase, after deciding that hostile insurance policies made the dangers not price the rewards. Many nonetheless pulled off profitable occasions, however acknowledged the temper has modified.

“The perception of how hard it’s gotten has taken root, and that has meant that not as many acts will take the chance on the threat of being turned away or risking future entry,” stated Angela Dorgan, the director of Music From Ireland, the Irish Music Export workplace (which is funded by Culture Ireland). That group has helped break acts like CMAT (a hit at Coachella this 12 months) and Fontaines DC in the US

“Artists want to continue to come here in spite of the trouble and not stay away because of it. There’s a unique pull to America for all Irish people, so we don’t want to see you hurting,” Dorgan stated. ”Irish artists really feel that their US followers want music greater than ever now and need to proceed to attach with and assist their followers.”

Takafumi Sugahara, the organizer of “Tokyo Calling

After high-profile incidents of tourist detentions and fear of reprisals for political speech, those worries and long-dreaded expenses may shift their priorities. “From my point of view, the impact of global conflicts or wars does not seem to be affecting artists’ decisions very strongly for now,” they stated. “However, if the current situation were to worsen, it’s possible that we could begin to see that change.”

Coachella often hits a few visa snafus yearly (this 12 months, the English digital artist Tourist needed to cancel. Last 12 months, it was FKA Twigs). Yet the Grammy-winning Malian Algerian group Tinariwen needed to cancel a main tour this 12 months, after the Trump administration positioned extreme new journey restrictions on 19 international locations, together with Mali. Folk legend Cat Stevens scotched a e-book tour after visa issues. Outspoken acts like the UK’s Bob Vylan have been denied US visas for criticizing Israel, and the Irish rap group Kneecap confronted hurdles after their visa sponsor, Independent Artist Group, dropped them for related causes final 12 months.

The Times spoke to 1 European band (who requested to not be named, for fear of reprisals from the US authorities) who had a substantial tour of US theaters booked final 12 months, earlier than their visas have been denied simply days earlier than the tour was because of start. They have been pressured to cancel these dates and reschedule for spring 2026, dropping tens of hundreds of {dollars} in up-front prices and non-refundable charges. (A efficiency visa routinely prices $6,000 with now-necessary expedited processing.)

“Our manager said, ‘This has never happened before, but even though you paid a lot of money and the check cleared, you won’t have visas,’” the band stated. They puzzled if their pro-Palestinian advocacy might need performed a function, however now imagine it was because of adjustments of their software kinds.

That small discrepancy “meant we lost tens of thousands of [dollars]which for a mid-tier band with a loyal cult following, was quite ruinous,” they stated. “We had to put on fundraising shows to get to zero, then re-apply for visas, and paid four grand extra to expedite them. We took out a loan to pay it. “We felt relentlessly fleeced,” they said. “We love the US, however now there may be a actuality through which we’ve to chop our losses and cease coming. Quite a lot of bands are giving up on the US, for positive.”

“It’s a different feeling now where the US government can do anything to us, and we just have to take it,” they added. “They’re shifting the goalposts the entire time. It’s scary.”

That fate can befall even major acts, particularly those from Latin America.

Last year, superstar Mexican singer Julión Álvarez canceled his concert for a planned 50,000 fans in Arlington, Texas, when his touring visa was revoked. Grupo Firme faced a similar fate at the La Onda festival in Napa Valley. Los Alegres del Barranco saw their visas canceled after they projected an image of drug kingpin “El Mencho” during a concert.

“That was a moment where people realize how serious or scary it can get for promoters with this administration when it comes to the visa situation, how quickly things can change and you can lose millions,” said Oscar Aréliz, a Latin music expert at Pollstar.

An act the caliber of Karol G might not face quite the same risks, though she told Playboy that “If you say the factor, perhaps the subsequent day you will get a name: ‘Hey, we’re taking your visa away.’ “You become bait, because some people want to show their power.”

If it might probably occur to a stadium-filler like Álvarez, it might probably occur to anybody. That may make some Latin acts prioritize other areas.

Bad Bunny demurred on touring the continental US for fear of ICE raids at his reveals, choosing a prolonged residence in his residence territory of Puerto Rico as a substitute.

Local Latin music hubs like Santa Fe Springs and Pico Rivera have suffered tremendously underneath latest ICE raids and have seen followers retreat in fear. Las Vegas is a main touring vacation spot for acts throughout Mexican independence celebrations in September, however now “it feels different,” Aréliz stated. He expects the metropolis — sometimes boisterous with Latin acts then — to lose a huge chunk of music tourism from the north and south.

“Vegas’ top tourist countries are Canada and Mexico, so we’re going to see other countries benefit from this. If acts struggle to tour here because of the visa situation, they’re going to tour Mexico and Latin America instead,” he added.

Tours sometimes e-book a 12 months prematurely, so the full results of the visa points and ICE fears might not be felt till later in 2026 or 2027. The outcomes of the midterm elections might change global notion of America’s security. The nation continues to be an extremely invaluable touring marketplace for acts that may make it work.

But the world’s music group now seems to be at the US like an outdated pal going by means of a tough patch: They’ll be completely satisfied to see us as soon as we pull it collectively.

“Certainly over the last number of years in the US, we have been thinking about where we could find these new audiences for Irish music,” Dorgan stated. “The unofficial theme of our at home showcase Ireland Music Week was, ‘America. We are not breaking up with you, but we are seeing other people.'”

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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Times.