Gracie Abrams has responded to the “wildly uncool” fan petition to replace Dora Jar as an opening act for her upcoming UK and European tour – see what Abrams had to say below.
- READ MORE: Dora Jar faced her shadow self and remembered how to play
On Friday (January 24), alt-pop artist and former NME Cover star Dora Jar announced that she would be opening for Abrams on her UK and European tour in February and March, including shows in Nottingham, Leeds, London, Manchester, Cardiff, Dublin and Glasgow.
However, in the hours following the announcement, a number of Abrams fans complained about the choice of Jar as support act, with some social media users sharing what appeared to be a crowdfunding campaign to have her replaced on the tour.
An anonymous poster using the name Dexter Morgan (a character from the TV series Dexter) launched a Change.org petition on the basis that fans “are perplexed as we do not recognise [Dora Jar] and with less than two weeks till the tour, it’s virtually impossible to familiarise ourselves with her slow-paced songs.” The campaign author also suggested that Jar be replaced with “a more well-known, energetic artist or band”.
Jar responded on Saturday (January 25), writing: “Hate comes with the job, the truth is this is the biggest outpouring of love I’ve ever received from a fanbase who is still unfamiliar with me. Gracie has beautiful open hearted fans and I am so excited for this.”
As for the tour headliner herself, Gracie Abrams seemingly caught wind of the petition when she had seen a post on Stereogum‘s Instagram page about the matter. She commented on the post: “Just hearing about this absolute ridiculousness… so wildly uncool and bizarre and also just does not remotely add up. I’ve only seen everyone’s total excitement and I couldn’t be luckier or prouder to share a stage with this talented wonder. Stream everything she’s ever made whether or not you’re coming to the show. Dora forever and ever.”
The ‘I Know It Won’t Work’ singer will be kicking off her tour at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid on February 9, before making stops in cites such as Lisbon, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Zurich, Milan, Paris and Brussels.
From there, Abrams will make her way to the UK with a show at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on March 3, 2025. This will be followed by shows in Leeds, London, Manchester, Cardiff and Dublin. The final show of the run will take place at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow on March 12 – you can find any remaining tickets for the shows here.
Jar released her debut album ‘No Way To Relax When You Are On Fire’ in September. The record is a reflection of what the California artist went through in its two-year creation, following a whirlwind time that included going on tour with Billie Eilish and The 1975. Though it was an honour to tour with these artists – including Eilish, whom Jar says “broke my mind open again about what music could be” – she struggled with imposter syndrome afterward. “[I was] so confused and I [didn’t] feel like I deserved any of that,” she told NME.
To make her album, Jar had to get back in touch with her whimsical side: “I forgot that my nature is to be playful. I really detached from that and took so much all of a sudden so seriously.” Jar further characterises her sound to NME as “detailed and probably a bit intense”. She adds: “Whether it’s a lullaby or upbeat, there’s a demanding call to be listened to. I’m very interested in things that are confusing, because I felt confused my whole life.”
