What happened to Victoria Canal’s arm? All we know about singer as Dispatch bows out from Soulshine at Sea following allegations

Earlier this year, Victoria Canal ascended into the limelight as one of the most exciting young voices in modern pop music through her songwriting and transparent advocacy. She has amassed fans around the world.

More recently, Canal has been headlining and making news not just for her music, but also for her recent disclosures about grooming and abuse, revelations which created huge discussion in the industry and beyond, with Dispatch even canceling the Soulshine at Sea festival.

Victoria Canal was born without the lower half of her right arm; therefore, it can be characterized as a birth defect. Far from letting it haunt her, Canal has been very clear in her rejection of labels. Canal has used interviews as an opportunity to compare it to someone with an unlucky-shaped nose.

"I don’t want to be the one-armed singer. Stevie Wonder isn’t the blind singer. He’s Stevie F*cking Wonder... Whatever you look like whatever you’re feeling you are accepted you are enough. You are more than enough." Canal had stated, according to Ari Herstand.

According to Ari’s Take website, Canal has reframed what some might see as a weakness into a creative strength. By learning piano without her right hand, Canal learned to create unique chord voicings and original music that ultimately became an integral part of her artistic identity.

A look into Victoria Canal’s early career and recent allegations

Victoria Canal was born in Munich and raised around the globe by roaming parents, constantly moving and communicating almost entirely online in her formative years.

It was social media that provided Canal's big break. A few early Instagram videos were picked up by fellow artists like Michael Franti and Emily King, who invited her on tour. Since then, she has opened for major acts, and more recently, became the face of Nike's Jordan FlyEase shoe line. In 2024, she accepted an Ivor Novello award, one of the most revered songwriting awards in the UK.

Earlier in the month, Canal posted an extremely personal post on Instagram, explaining that she was groomed and abused early in her career by "a very powerful, decades older man."

"At the time, this person made me believe that 1. No one else wanted me there 2. He was my only safe person and he truly "loved" me 3. If I ever told anyone what he was doing, my career would be over before it started." she wrote.

She shared how it affected her for a lifetime, but also talked about how opening up about it helped her heal, similar to when she spoke about body image and mental illness.

"This experience, which lasted a little over a year, has had a years-lasting effect on my intimate life," Victoria Canal added.

Though Victoria Canal has not publicly named her alleged abuser, fans began to speculate online, and some concluded that musician Michael Franti is the person she implied (Music Ally). As of this writing, these are all allegations and are uncorroborated.

The fallout has been quick as fellow band Dispatch publicly announced that they were pulling out of Soulshine at Sea, a cruise concert organized by Franti's band, citing "deeply disturbing public allegations involving another artist on the lineup."

"We've decided we will no longer be performing at Soulshine at Sea. We have been made aware of deeply concerning public allegations involving another artist on the lineup and have chosen to withdraw from the event," they wrote on Facebook.

For Victoria Canal, this moment not only represents a reckoning with painful experiences but also a continuation as an artist who speaks honestly about struggle, resilience, and growth.