{"id":28001,"date":"2026-04-20T05:47:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T05:47:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=28001"},"modified":"2026-04-20T05:47:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T05:47:33","slug":"karol-g-at-coachella-was-a-global-hit-yet-other-foreign-acts-fear-touring-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/?p=28001","title":{"rendered":"Karol G at Coachella was a global hit. Yet other foreign acts fear touring the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

On the first Sunday night of Coachella, headliner Karol G told her American fans, and her global audience, to keep fighting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is for my Latinos that have been struggling in this country lately,\u201d the Colombian superstar told the tens of thousands watching her in person, and many more on the fest\u2019s livestream. She\u2019d recently criticized ICE in a Playboy interview, but this set was about her fans\u2019 resolve. \u201cWe want everyone to feel welcome to our culture, so I want everyone to feel proud of where you come from. Don\u2019t feel fear \u2014 feel pride!\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Any artist would be proud to play that caliber of headline slot. But right now, many foreign acts also feel fear \u2014 or at least wariness \u2014 about booking substantial tours in the United States. A year of brutal ICE raids, tensions at border crossings and policed political speech, coupled with sky-high prices for expedited visas, fuel and other touring logistics, could push international acts away from the U.S.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fears that ICE would raid shows didn\u2019t really materialize, but there is a chilling effect,\u201d said Andy Gensler, editor of the touring-biz trade bible Pollstar. \u201cTrump\u2019s only been back in office a year, so we haven\u2019t fully seen the effects, but it does send a message that if you\u2019re a political artist you won\u2019t get a visa. With the economic shock of gas prices and tourism way down, the signifiers are out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> As ICE raids American cities, artists fight back before the Grammys with ‘More teeth … more rage’<\/a><\/p>\n

The music economy is still thriving in SoCal. Coachella sold out with record spending from fans, and fears that ICE might show up for a prominent Latin headliner proved unfounded. (The agency did not respond to a request for comment on Coachella, and Lt. Deirdre Vickers of the Riverside County Sheriff\u2019s office said that their office \u201cdoes not participate in immigration enforcement operations.\u201d)<\/p>\n

But in smaller venues featuring emerging and mid-tier global acts, some see trouble ahead.<\/p>\n

Pollstar\u2019s Gensler estimates that the total number of concerts in the U.S. they tracked for the first quarter of 2026 was down about 17% from last year. That could be due to many economic factors \u2014 but slower international touring could be contributing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. 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,\u201d Gensler said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve 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\u2019s hard to know how that will all shake out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> Coachella 2026: The best photos from the festival<\/a><\/p>\n

Talent firms who specialize in bringing young acts to the U.S. began noticing pullback before this year\u2019s festival season. Adam Lewis is the head of Planetary Group, a marketing agency that produces and promoting musician showcases in the U.S., with a significant roster of artists from abroad. He said that performers who ordinarily would leap at the chance to play U.S. festivals are taking hard looks at the payoffs and risks.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists are thinking twice, based on what the government is doing right now,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cYou can look at the economics \u2014 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 U.S. for any music event. The money is going elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

South by Southwest, the March Texas confab for music, film and tech, was among the first festivals to feel a pinch this year. Several sources said they saw fewer foreign showcases and acts amid a broader culling of music. In 2025, Canada canceled its popular annual showcase, after deciding that hostile policies made the risks not worth the rewards. Many still pulled off successful events, but acknowledged the mood has shifted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe perception of how hard it\u2019s 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,\u201d said Angela Dorgan, the director of Music From Ireland, the Irish Music Export office (which is funded by Culture Ireland). That organization has helped break acts like CMAT (a hit at Coachella this year) and Fontaines DC in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> CMAT came to Coachella with politics on her mind and an Irish dance step for California<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cArtists 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,\u201d Dorgan said. \u201dIrish artists feel that their U.S. fans need music more than ever now and want to continue to connect with and support their fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Takafumi Sugahara, the organizer of \u201cTokyo Calling X Inspired By Tokyo,\u201d a Japanese showcase at South by Southwest, agreed: \u201cBringing artists to the United States has always been challenging when it comes to obtaining visas, but it feels like the process has become even more difficult than before \u2014 perhaps due to the current political climate under the current administration.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n