Michael Franti, the Oakland-born music star known for the hit “The Sound of Sunshine” and other bright pop-reggae tunes, has denied allegations that he sexually abused one of his fellow artists.
Franti doesn’t specifically name the woman in his Instagram post, instead saying “the artist and I had written a song together and later my team offered her a spot on tour as the support act.”
His denial comes after singer-songwriter Victoria Canal posted about an abusive relationship with a “a very powerful, decades-older man” — who many have taken to be Franti.
Franti acknowledges that there was an affair with the unnamed woman — while he was married — but denies that it was anything but consensual.
“I’m aware of the recent posts this artist made about our relationship, and while I support her need to express herself publicly, the relationship was completely consensual, based on mutual feelings and attraction,” Franti said in the post. “I vehemently dispute any version of the story that says otherwise.”
He continues on to say he takes “full accountability for not recognizing the power imbalance as she was younger than me, and I was the headliner on the tour.”
“For those reasons alone, I never should have allowed the relationship to become romantic,” he wrote.
Still, Franti has reportedly been dropped by his management company, Activist Artists Management, in wake of the allegations. He also scuttled an upcoming tour as well as a ocean musical cruise at which he was to be the headliner.
Canal made the sexual abuse and grooming allegations — without naming any names — earlier this month on her 27th birthday, beginning her post with the declaration that “I’ll only say this once.”
“This is something I’ve never spoken about publicly, and have been holding for 8 years now — it has plagued my body, spirit and mind, in subliminal and overt ways, for my entire 20s,” Canal wrote.
She explained that she only decided to post about the incident — which occurred when she 19 — “only earlier this year, when I was assaulted by a stranger in a rehearsal space” and “something in my subconscious awoke (including many buried memories) and helped me to understand the effects of what happened to me.”
“Today, on my 27th birthday, I am choosing my own freedom by sharing this with you all,” Canal wrote. “I am letting it out, to be able to let it go. This decision feels so right in my body.”
In the wake of the scandal, Franti has canceled his upcoming tour — which included a date at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga.
Also, an upcoming cruise — dubbed Soulshine at Sea with Michael Franti as the headliner — has been also been nixed.
“In light of recent events, the Soulshine at Sea with Michael Franti event scheduled for November 4-8, 2025, is cancelled,” a post read on the cruise website. “We are actively working to announce a new event that will sail November 4-8, 2025.”