Lewis Capaldi Will No Longer Co-Host the 2022 ARIA Awards

Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi has been forced to pull out of co-hosting the 2022 ARIA Music Awards.

A scheduling conflict means the pop star can no longer make it to Australia in time for his co-hosting duties on November 24th. His entire promotional tour in the country has also been scrapped, including a Nova Red Room fan show.

“Due to unforeseen scheduling issues, Lewis Capaldi will no longer be in Australia for his planned promotional trip in November,” a statement read.

“Unfortunately, this means Lewis won’t be able to attend the 2022 ARIA Awards. Lewis will be returning to Australia for his tour in July 2023. The 2022 ARIA Awards still be live and dangerous with presenter and performer announcements coming soon.”

Capaldi, known as much for his comedy chops as his powerful pop ballads in his home country, was set to co-host alongside Australian icon Natalie Imbruglia at the glitzy ceremony.

The hunt is now on for his replacement, with speculation that another big international artist will be drafted in to cover for the ‘Someone Like You’ singer. The likes of Dua Lipa and Steve Lacy will be in Australia at the time of this year’s ARIA Awards.

For those despairing about Capaldi’s cancellation, the singer is still scheduled to come to Australia for a massive headline tour next year.

His 2023 tour of Australia and New Zealand now has eight stops thanks to the addition of a second and final Sydney show today. He’ll now perform at the city’s Qudos Bank Arena on Friday, July 7th 2023. Tickets to the new Sydney show go on sale this Friday, November 4th at 9am AEDT.

The forthcoming tour will celebrate Capaldi’s newly announced album Broken by Desire to Be Heavenly Sent, which is set for release on Friday, May 19th via EMI Records (pre-order here).

The 2022 ARIA Awards will be held at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion on November 24th. This year’s nominees include Amyl and the Sniffers, Baker Boy, Gang of Youths, Thelma Plum, Flume, and Julia Jacklin.