Despite her recent efforts to clean up her act and make a comeback, it’s back to black for Amy Winehouse, who has canceled her upcoming performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival April 18.
“She cannot go because of current legal issues,” Winehouse’s rep Chris Goodman told People.com, shooting down rampant speculation that the singer was denied a U.S. work visa. The “legal issues” refer to an assault charge filed against the singer last week.
Winehouse’s track record with securing visas in a punctual fashion has been bumpy at best. This time around she had reportedly begun the process of requesting a visa, but had yet to submit a complete application. In 2008 she was granted a “last-minute” pass to enter the country for the Grammys, but ended up missing her scheduled live appearance due to “timing complications.” As a result, her performance had to be beamed in via satellite from London.
“Amy is absolutely gutted,” a “source” close to the 25-year-old singer told UK paper The Daily Mirror. “She was looking forward to getting back on stage and this was going to be one of the biggest shows of her life. As well as 75,000 fans, there would have been top record execs there too so she might have even tried out some new material.”
Winehouse was slated to perform on the main stage in the company of headliners the Killers, Paul McCartney and Morrissey. “Amy Winehouse is too big for a tent now” Coachella founder Paul Tollett previously explained of the lineup, noting that the singer’s popularity has skyrocketed since she last appeared at the festival in 2007. The concert would have marked Amy Winehouse’s biggest U.S. engagement to date.
