In a series of Instagram posts, Canal, who turned 27 last week, shared her story describing how she was allegedly groomed by a man who discovered her online when she was 19 and invited her into her first professional opportunities. She described a progression of unwanted touching, coercion, and manipulation over more than a year, saying she feared speaking out earlier due to the potential "financial loss or emotional terror a lawsuit would bring."
Canal described being isolated, denied basic accommodations provided to her peers, and made dependent on this person for shelter and safety. "If I wanted a bed to sleep in and a shower to use, he made sure it was his," she wrote, explaining that she was a virgin at the time and lacked the tools to establish boundaries.
Canal said she was manipulated into believing that no one else wanted her around, that this man was her only source of safety and love, and that speaking out would destroy her career before it began. She characterized the experience as a textbook case of grooming, where her abuser’s power distorted her sense of agency and survival.
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| Victoria Canal and Michael Franti on Morning Joe in 2019. |
"Your brain convinces you you’re willfully participating in it, that you actually have agency, because that’s what it has to do to survive," she wrote, adding that others in the professional environment witnessed what was happening but failed to intervene.
According to Canal, the abuse lasted a little over a year but left a lasting impact on her intimate life and mental health. She recounted how the individual later admitted that grooming her had been his plan from the moment he first saw her online. That admission, she said, froze her in time and contributed to years of PTSD symptoms and difficulties with intimacy. "Only with this recent assault did every memory come lurching back into my consciousness and make me go, ‘oh, of course,’" she wrote.
While Canal did not identify Franti by name, social media users quickly drew connections, and several fellow musicians - including Hirie, Tank and the Bangas, and Dispatch - have already announced they are dropping from upcoming tour appearances with Franti in response to the controversy.
According to Canal, the abuse lasted a little over a year but left a lasting impact on her intimate life and mental health. She recounted how the individual later admitted that grooming her had been his plan from the moment he first saw her online. That admission, she said, froze her in time and contributed to years of PTSD symptoms and difficulties with intimacy. "Only with this recent assault did every memory come lurching back into my consciousness and make me go, ‘oh, of course,’" she wrote.
While Canal did not identify Franti by name, social media users quickly drew connections, and several fellow musicians - including Hirie, Tank and the Bangas, and Dispatch - have already announced they are dropping from upcoming tour appearances with Franti in response to the controversy.
The allegations surfaced while Franti’s Welcome to the Family tour continues across North America, with his August 16 show in San Diego marking one of the biggest West Coast stops. His band is also tied to the Soulshine at Sea festival cruise later this year, where multiple acts have now withdrawn in protest.
Franti’s ties to San Diego run deeper than his concerts. The San Diego Tourism Authority partnered with him for multiple years, featuring his music in national campaigns promoting the city. In 2022, his songs "Happy and You Know It" and "Out in the Sun" were at the center of an $8 million tourism push produced by The Shipyard. Executives called him “a natural fit” for the city’s uplifting image, and the campaigns aired during marquee broadcasts such as the Olympics and Super Bowl pre-game. The collaborations positioned Franti’s music as the literal soundtrack of San Diego’s tourism brand, embedding his upbeat style into the city’s identity as a destination.
This isn’t the first time San Diego has spotlighted the 59-year-old singer as a cultural ambassador, but now that once-bright association is colliding with serious allegations that threaten both his reputation and his tour. As of publication, Franti has not issued a public statement addressing the claims.
Franti’s ties to San Diego run deeper than his concerts. The San Diego Tourism Authority partnered with him for multiple years, featuring his music in national campaigns promoting the city. In 2022, his songs "Happy and You Know It" and "Out in the Sun" were at the center of an $8 million tourism push produced by The Shipyard. Executives called him “a natural fit” for the city’s uplifting image, and the campaigns aired during marquee broadcasts such as the Olympics and Super Bowl pre-game. The collaborations positioned Franti’s music as the literal soundtrack of San Diego’s tourism brand, embedding his upbeat style into the city’s identity as a destination.
This isn’t the first time San Diego has spotlighted the 59-year-old singer as a cultural ambassador, but now that once-bright association is colliding with serious allegations that threaten both his reputation and his tour. As of publication, Franti has not issued a public statement addressing the claims.
Originally published on August 17, 2025.
