Abbie Chatfield was due to appear at Beyond The Valley festival in Melbourne this week, but has pulled out after having a hectic 2022.
The It’s A Lot podcast host was scheduled for a live pod at the event, but Chatfield announced she would no longer be attending via a lengthy statement on social media this morning.
“Unfortunately, I have had to make the decision to to cancel this live performance,” she wrote. “I am so sorry to anyone who was anticipating coming to this show. It’s the last thing I want to have to do and it was a hard decision to make.”
She added that this year had exhausted and “almost broke” her.
“Mentally and physically I have been sick for most of the year, particularly the second half. I’ve run myself into the ground, pushing through when I felt I couldn’t do anymore, but I can’t push through this time,” she shared. “I’m sure you all would have noticed me losing my voice multiple times throughout the year.”
Acknowledging the need for self-care, Chatfield added: “I feel I need to listen to my body and mind and take a rest. If I don’t, I fear I will start the year ill in one way or another, and not be able to do what I did in 2022. I can’t keep doing this to myself and I need to reassess what I can and can’t give.
“If I were to do this show, it wouldn’t be as good as I would like. I’d feel I had half baked it just to get something across the line, as I don’t have the mental or emotional bandwidth in me to create something that I’m proud of, let alone to fly to another state and perform it.”
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Not wanting to give fans “a shit show”, Chatfield clarified she was not having a breakdown or experiencing complete burnout, but said, “I’ve gotten close to the edge enough times to know that there should be a threshold before the edge.”
“There should be a yellow light before red, and I’m currently staring at the yellow light, hoping it goes green in 2023,” she added, before apologising again. “I wish I could have done this show but I simply can’t. I have been looking forward to this all year. Not only to perform and see you, and meet you, but also to see the other podcasts and musicians.”
Chatfield has indeed had a hectic 2022. Not only has she hosted It’s A Lot and nightly syndicated radio show Hot Nights with Abbie, she was also a panellist on The Masked Singer, ran her clothing line Verbose The Label, launched Spill lager with CBU, lent her ‘main character energy’ to travel company KAYAK and MC’d the Fridayz Live tour around the country.
It doesn’t look like things will be slowing down any time, with Chatfield already confirmed to host new reality show FBOY Island next year.
“I’m on socials here and there but I’m trying to just pull back over summer, to give myself a chance to recharge,” she shared.
The three-day Beyond The Valley festival kicks off today in Hesse, Victoria.
