Tamsin Embleton is the founder and CEO of the Music Industry Therapist Collective CIC (MITC). Here, she welcomes the increasing wellness and mental health support as part of the industry’s touring infrastructure – the next step is “making healthier touring accessible to everyone”...
When Charli xcx recently announced just a handful of European dates for 2027, she justified the short run by explaining that touring is “really emotionally and physically hard for me”. While there was inevitable disappointment among some fans, there were just as many who praised her openness about the realities of touring and the decision to prioritise her mental health.
It’s far from the only example of an artist re-thinking the traditional touring schedule to allow them to take better care of themselves. See Harry Styles and his explanation for choosing to perform multi-date residencies for his 2026 Together, Together tour as a way to “stay in my life” and to accommodate band members with children.
Before founding The Music Industry Therapist Collective CIC (MITC), I spent over a decade as a venue and festival booker, with a spot of tour management thrown in. I understand the appeal: the buzz, adventure, camaraderie and shared purpose. Bringing your records to life, meeting your fanbase and playing together on stage can be powerful stuff. But the repetition and intensity that hone skills and build confidence can also push you beyond your capacity to cope.
I remember being surprised by the toll touring took on me. The days were long and the urgency was inescapable. I always needed to be a few steps ahead. After a week or so, I was finding it hard to switch off. The load was building, but respite was absent. As I’ve often heard said since, “there are no days off on tour, just days without shows”.
Thankfully, times are changing. Understanding of issues like burnout and chronic stress is far greater. Artists feel increasingly comfortable discussing their mental health in interviews. The industry is realising that help shouldn't begin only when somebody becomes unwell or reaches crisis point.
The result is wellness and mental health support gradually starting to be recognised as a key part of touring infrastructure. In elite sport, rest and recovery are recognised as essential to perform at a high level. Touring should apply the same principle.
The industry is realising that help shouldn't begin only when somebody becomes unwell or reaches crisis point
Tamsin Embleton
Conventional therapy or workplace support models don’t always fit life on the road, so at MITC we developed services that work for the reality. This might mean a mix of backstage therapy, mediation and confidential check-ins with mental health professionals available in differing time-zones for team members to access on the road, as needed.
After introducing a welfare officer on Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism tour, 84% of the crew responded that the role contributed to a more supportive tour culture, and 64% reported greater willingness to seek workplace support.
Yet, while it’s hugely positive to see big name artists addressing the issue of touring and wellbeing, the next step lies in making healthier touring accessible to everyone, grassroots and emerging artists included.
Smaller tours face many of the same pressures, but tighter margins and leaner teams can put specialist psychological support beyond their budgets. Financial viability matters; without it, the tour may not happen at all. And during the current cost-of-touring crisis, finding the extra cash to invest in mental health provisions may seem like a luxury.
Decisions like Harry Styles and Charli xcx’s might not be available to every artist but the principle behind them matters at every level: people need conditions that allow them to deliver excellent shows and stay well. Most tours cannot adopt a residency model, but they can consider human capacity, resources, recovery and support when planning tours.
MITC’s approach helps tour leaders think about workload, supportive resources and time to recover. Pressure can help us perform, but touring often increases demands while disrupting sleep and separating us from the people, places and routines that keep us steady. Without enough support or recovery, stress accumulates: someone who handles a major setback well when rested may struggle with something relatively small after weeks on the road.
That matters for the delivery of a tour, too. People need to concentrate, make decisions, communicate and work closely together under pressure. Looking after their health supports the conditions in which they can do those things well.
Collaboration across the industry also has a part to play. We are extremely grateful to AEG International, d&b audiotechnik, Fly By Nite, Live Nation, Lockton, The Team, Universal Pixels, Radiohead’s Philip Selway and Live Free 999, who have come together to fund the new Pay It Forward initiative. This is specifically designed to provide access to occupational health support for 150 smaller tours over the next three years.
We are adapting what we’ve learnt on previous tours into a model suited to small and mid-scale teams. It cannot replicate a full-time embedded welfare officer, but it provides access to expertise, practical preparation and confidential support that might otherwise be unavailable.
A successful tour delivers for audiences and leaves people with capacity for their lives beyond it. Taking that seriously deserves consideration alongside the bottom line.
PHOTO: Nicola Hippisley
