Solange cancels European festival tour

Beyonce's singer sister Solange Knowles has cancelled all her upcoming European festival performances for "family reasons".

The star was due to appear at a number of the continent's biggest music events over the summer (13), including Pukkelpop in Belgium and the Flow Festival in Helsinki, Finland next month (Aug13).

Organisers of the Flow Festival blamed "family reasons" and recording commitments for her departure from the schedule, while Solange gave an apologetic statement to the bosses of Pukkelpop.

Her statement reads, "I am completely devastated to announce that I will be cancelling my international festival dates for the summer. I wish I could put in words how much of a difficult decision this was... but between moving part time to a new city, starting my son in a new school, and writing/recording my new record... I really had to make the best decision for my mental/physical health and provide some stability for my family... I am so so sooooo (sic) sorry if I've disappointed (my fans)... and really hope to make it out to those special cities soon enough!"

Other axed dates include performances at the Oya festival in Norway, Sweden's Way Out West and Sudoeste in Portugal.