Hedley to take 'indefinite hiatus' once current tour ends
CBC News | Posted: March 1, 2018 2:47 AM | Last Updated: March 1, 2018
Dogged by sexual misconduct accusations, band plans break to 'work on our personal relationships'
Canadian band Hedley said Wednesday its members will be taking "an indefinite hiatus" after the conclusion of their current tour.
In a statement on Twitter, the B.C. pop-rock band said its members unanimously decided on the hiatus in order to "work on our personal relationships and who we are as individuals."
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The band's next show in their Cageless tour is scheduled for Thursday night in Brampton, Ont.
A March 11 performance scheduled in Windsor, Ont., was cancelled by the venue on Tuesday.
The tour continues with more than a dozen with dates ahead in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta before ending on March 23 in Kelowna, B.C.
Hedley has been under fire since sexual misconduct allegations against singer Jacob Hoggard began surfacing online two weeks ago, suggesting he had inappropriate encounters with young fans.
Following the allegations, the band withdrew from the Juno Awards. Several radio stations, including the CBC, stopped playing the band's music and their management team cut ties with them.
Last Sunday, CBC published a report detailing an Ottawa woman's allegation that she was raped in 2016 by the band's singer Jacob Hoggard. The woman alleges the incident took place in a Toronto hotel, but the singer's lawyer said in a statement that the sex was consensual.
In a separate tweet on Wednesday, Hoggard posted a statement saying he is stepping away from his career "indefinitely."
Although he acknowledged he "behaved in a way that objectified women" over the years, Hoggard said in the statement he had "never engaged in non-consensual sexual behaviour."