Sam Fender Cancels Tour Dates to Tend to His Mental Health: 'I've Neglected Myself'

Gus Stewart/Redferns Sam Fender

Sam Fender is taking a step back.

The British musician, 28, announced this week that he's canceling a series of shows in order to tend to his mental health, as a whirlwind year filled with dozens of international tour dates have left him "burnt out."

"It seems completely hypocritical of me to advocate discussion on mental health and write songs about it if I don't take the time to look after my own mental health," he wrote in a lengthy statement shared to Instagram. "I've neglected myself for over a year now and haven't dealt with things that have deeply affected me."

Fender continued: "It's impossible to do this work on myself while on the road, and it's exhausting feigning happiness and wellness for the sake of business. My friends and colleagues have been worried about me for a while and it's not going to get better unless I take the time to do so."

The "Seventeen Going Under" singer — whose lyrics tackle everything from the plight of the blue collar worker to toxic masculinity and mental health — said that while he's "eternally overwhelmed" by his fans' love and support, and doesn't want to disappoint them, "the state of my wellbeing is starting to affect everything I do, including my performances."

The musician said that as a result, he would be canceling three headlining shows in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, as well as opening slots for Florence and the Machine and the Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas.

"I refuse to go out there and not give it my all EVERY time, as you all deserve nothing less," he said. "I can't express how grateful we are to have such an awesome fan base. I've met a fair few of you over the years and those encounters have genuinely restored my faith in humanity, you're all sound as f—."

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He concluded: "Me and the boys are burnt out and we need this time. Thank you for always sticking by us ❤️"

Fender's message was met with an outpouring of support from fans including Gwyneth Paltrow, who recently caught the star's New York City show in August.

"This is beautiful. We ❤️you. Look after yourself," she wrote.

It's been a whirlwind year for Fender, who released his second studio album, Seventeen Going Under, in October 2021. The album was a smash hit in his native UK, and notched the No. 1 spot on the albums chart, won big at the 2022 BRIT Awards, and was nominated for the 2022 Mercury Prize.

Fender spent much of 2021 on the road, and opened up to PEOPLE in July about the ways in which his rise to fame has taken a toll on his mental health.

"The anxiety is insane. I feel like every single word that comes out of my mouth is going to be f—ing scrutinized," he said. "I kind of always had this thing in my head, I think when I was a young lad and I was full of insecurity and I was bullied and I had all these things that I had issue with within myself, I always thought that I would be able to fix that by just f—ing smashing it as a guitarist and singer. And if I had a band and I made it and I became successful, I kind of always thought that that would just f—ing close the lid on all of that. But the reality is, if anything, it freaking amplifies it. It makes you even more insecure."

Luke Walker/Getty Sam Fender

The "Get You Down" singer said he'd recently found a friend and confidante in The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, who'd helped him through some of the more "stressful" parts of the job by offering advice.

"I was saying this to the label, I was kind of like, 'I need to live a bit more, because I'm not at the moment,'" he added at the time. "I was like, 'My life is constantly touring and doing stuff for this.' And it really kind of gets to the point where it does get uninspiring. I had a lot of things to write about at the beginning of the year, which I've already done, but now it's kind of like, I think I need a bit of time to just be a f—ng person."

Fender will head back out on the road in November for four dates in Australia.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.