Aussie Country Star Misses Out On Festival After Being ‘Detained’ At US Airport, Sent Back To Australia
"Missing the opportunity to play at CMA Fest is heartbreaking," Mackay said.
Austin Mackay (Credit: Kieran Tunbridge)
Newcastle-based country artist Austin Mackay was supposed to be in Nashville this week. The growing star was set to perform on the Spotlight Stage as part of Fan Fair X at CMA Fest, one of the biggest country music festivals in the US.
However, Mackay experienced devastation when, upon arriving at LAX airport, he experienced an “unexpected situation” with his visa and was detained for 16 hours. He was then forced to return home to Australia. Unfortunately, Mackay isn’t alone.
Since March, reports have surfaced that travellers—including those leaving the US—have been detained at American airports. Some have been sent to ICE detention centres, with a Canadian woman writing that she was detained for two weeks even with a work visa. Despite missing out on playing at CMA Fest, at least Mackay made it home.
Mackay shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram on Thursday night (5 June). He discussed his missing out on performing at CMA Fest, but taking the chance to “honour the opportunity,” he shared a live set with his followers as “a taste of what I had planned to bring to Nashville.”
You can read his statement and watch the live set below.
Austin Mackay’s statement reads:
As many of you may have heard, I was unable to perform live at CMA Fest this year due to an unexpected situation with my visa upon arrival in the U.S.
Despite having what I believed to be the correct visa and all the official invitations to perform, I was detained at LAX for 16 hours and ultimately had to return home to Australia without being able to play the shows I’d worked so hard for.
It was an incredibly difficult experience, not only emotionally, but also professionally and financially. Missing the opportunity to play at CMA Fest is heartbreaking.
But even though I couldn’t be there in person, I still wanted to share this live set with you all, recorded back home, to give you a taste of what I had planned to bring to Nashville.
This performance is my way of honouring the opportunity, and to connect with everyone who would’ve been there.
Thank you to CMA and Sounds Australia for their support, and thank you to everyone watching back at home, it means more than you know.
Austin Mackay is recognised for his balance of folk melodies with dynamic country and rock influences, such as Chris Stapleton, John Mayer, and James Bay. He’s opened for the likes of Morgan Evans, Brad Cox, Travis Collins, and Thirsty Merc, and he has performed at festivals such as the Springtime Festival and Bluesfest Byron Bay.
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Mackay dropped his most recent single, Time To Learn, at the end of January and embarked on a corresponding Australian tour.
A track written by Mackay and his best mates around a campfire as they each dealt with rocky moments in their relationships, he explained: “We wanted to create a song that carried the feeling of hope throughout it, one that forces you to reflect but also brings you a sense of comfort. Time To Learn is exactly that.
“It’s one about embracing mistakes and hard times and learning from them, rather than letting them wear you down. It’s the kind of song you blast with your friends and, if even just for one moment, it makes you feel like everything is going to be alright.”
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