Nirosta Steel Responds After RedNote Activity Leads to Canceled Shows

Steven Hall, the Arthur Russell collaborator who records as Nirosta Steel and released the album My Skyscraper this year on ULYSSA, has responded to scrutiny surrounding his activity on the Chinese social platform RedNote. Screenshots shared last week appeared to show Hall’s account following profiles associated with children and shotacon content. He deleted the account shortly after the images began circulating.

In a statement, Hall said he joined RedNote after his husband told him people there were discovering his music. He followed accounts quickly, he explained, without reviewing what they posted. “I did not realize that a few of the accounts contained highly toxic content, so I deleted my profile,” Hall wrote. “Those accounts don’t reflect my interests in any way.” He also suggested ageism and homophobia may be shaping the response, and asked for “a little grace for an old hippie who doesn’t know his way around the internet.”

The controversy has already affected Hall’s live schedule. Tone Glow canceled two Nirosta Steel performances planned for Sept. 18 and 19 at the Hideout in Chicago; the publication’s Joshua Minsoo Kim declined to comment. Nirosta Steel has since announced a Jan. 29 show at Lincoln Hall through Audiotree, while a run of New York dates at Night Club 101 and festival appearances at Pygmalion, Woodsist, Le Guess Who, and Pitchfork Music Festival Paris remain on the calendar.