“Missing from the public narrative has been the intimate story of his deeply emotive transformation – until now. ‘Cat on the Road to Findout’ finally reveals the curious complexity and intellectual reasoning behind his navigation through life – a voyage which has now culminated in his return to music and art, to share his lessons of life with those seekers, dreamers, and believers, who still love and admire him. He remains true to the optimistic message of his melodic peace train.”

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A post shared by Yusuf / Cat Stevens (@yusufcatstevens)

Yusuf/Cat Stevens commented: “I’ve been on an amazing journey, which began in the narrow streets of London, and led me through the most iconic cities, to perform upon the great stage of Western culture, ascending the dizzying heights of wealth, recognition and artistic pinnacles; freely exploring vast ranges of religions and philosophies, wandering through churches, temples, all the way to the Holy abode in Jerusalem — ignoring myths and warnings — and crossing the foreboded, desert heartlands, to arrive at the House of One God in Abrahamic Arabia. What finally elevated my perspective was a luminous Book that perfectly alchemized my thoughts, beliefs, with human nature. It taught me Oneness, and my place and purpose within the universe.”

The singer which had a terrifying near-death experience, almost drowning back in 1975, will be talking about how the experience led him on a spiritual path which subsequently made him convert to Islam and change his name to Yusuf Islam. Shortly after, he quit music to dedicate his life to God, his family and humanitarian work, earning him a World Award for “humanitarian relief work helping children and victims of war” and the Man of Peace Award, voted for by The Nobel Peace Laureates.

‘Cat On The Road To Findout’ is available to pre-order and to join the pre-sale for his upcoming book tour, visit catstevens.com.

Aɴɴᴏᴜɴᴄɪɴɢ: CᴀᴛSᴏɴɢ Fᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴀʟ
Over 40 fantastic musical artists cover the songs of Yusuf / Cat Stevens
Broadcast on 5th December at 8pm GMT / 12pm PT
Set YouTube reminder: https://t.co/QttL5SHEOG#CatSongFestival #CatStevens #Tillerman50 pic.twitter.com/eSMZv9PbYL

— Yusuf / Cat Stevens (@YusufCatStevens) November 30, 2020

Tea For The Tillerman remains one of Stevens’ most influential records, and spawned two of his most-loved (and covered) songs in Father and Son and Wild World. In September this year the Marylebone-born folk-pop veteran released a re-imagining of the album, Tea for the Tillerman 2. In an interview with Rock Cellar Magazine, Stevens/Yusuf said that it was ‘logical‘ for him to revisit the classic LP as it reaches its half-century.

He said “So we’re now in 2020 and my son and I were discussing ideas. He came up with the idea of perhaps recording the whole thing again. He probably wasn’t serious but I said, ‘Yeah, that’s a really great idea.’ Because the album is so iconic and I felt a little bit intimidated by its success over the years, to revisit it meant I could make it mine again; I could reclaim the narrative and make it life-sized again.”

The CatSong Festival will see over forty artists from across the world performing songs from Stevens’ sizeable back-catalogue. Headline acts set to perform on Saturday include Californian rockers HAIM, fresh off the success of their masterful third album Women in Music Pt. III; Grammy Award-winning American musician Dave Matthews; Hawaiian acoustic pop merchant Jack Johnson; and Brandon Boyd, lead vocalist for nu-metal pioneers Incubus.

A host of British artists are also set to perform. The virtual gig will include sets from You Give Me Something and You Make It Real singer James Morrison; Ivor Novello award winner Passenger; Blackpool-born songwriter Leoni Jane Kennedy; London rapper/MC Fedzilla; folk-soul songstress Charlie Austen; reggae multi-instrumentalist Eric Appapoulay (performing with Ghanaian musician Kwame Yeboah); Brighton singer-guitarist Mary Spender; and pop-rock balladeer Mollie Marriott.

There will also be a special performance from Stevens’ long-time collaborator Alun Davies, who has played guitar and provided backing vocals on the majority of Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam’s sixteen studio albums – including Tea For The Tillerman and Tea for The Tillerman 2. The multi-talented Welshman is set to perform at CatSong Festival with his daughter Becky Davies, who has also performed with her father’s band Good Men in the Jungle.

A statement on Stevens’ website says of Davies: “It’s difficult to quantify the immense contribution that Alun Davies has made to Yusuf / Cat Stevens’ career. Not only do his delicate guitar playing and thoughtful vocal harmonies compliment Yusuf’s style perfectly but he has been a crucial friend and support from the time that the two first started working together. Indeed, it’s hard to imagine Yusuf’s music and career without Alun by his side.“