What exactly is Nastia refusing to do?
On October 19, Nastia posted a video and written statement saying she is cancelling her planned North American tour and will not accept US bookings "until its politics and the policies of the administration are fundamentally changed towards Ukraine and other parts of the world which get really affected by it." She singled out three things: the administration easing economic pressure on Russia, pursuing energy deals that benefit the country waging the war, and restricting the military technology and support Ukraine needs to defend itself, all while Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities continue. "Music has never existed outside politics for me," she said, framing the decision as a matter of principle rather than a one-off gesture.
Why walk away one day before a tour announcement?
The timing is the part the US booking circuit will feel first. Nastia and her team had new North American dates ready to go public on October 20, the kind of announcement that usually means months of advance work with promoters, visas and routing already locked in. Pulling the plug the day before trades a real paycheck and a real tour for a position. For a touring DJ, that is not a hashtag, it is turning down the actual work, and it puts a cost on a stance that most artists only state in an Instagram caption.
Has she done this before?
Yes, and it is the second time the war has cost her a booking rather than just a statement. In June 2022, Nastia pulled out of Amsterdam's Awakenings Festival instead of sharing a lineup with Russian DJs she said were tolerant of the invasion, including Nina Kraviz, and pledged her festival fee to Ukrainian causes instead. "I cannot play with Russians who are tolerant to war in Ukraine," she said at the time. The US cancellation extends the same logic to an entire country's booking market rather than a single festival bill.
"Music has never existed outside politics for me."
