With recent sexual misconduct allegations made against Hedley, a growing list of people and organizations are looking to distance themselves from the Canadian pop-rock group.
The latest is East Coast group Neon Dreams, who made the decision to pull themselves off of Hedley’s current Canadian tour, Cageless. They released a statement earlier today regarding the decision:
Neon Dreams: Hedley Tour Statement
“In light of the allegations surfacing against Hedley, we can no longer in good conscience continue on the Cageless tour. We understand this choice could negatively impact our band professionally but in the end we have to do what we feel is morally right. We would like to thank all the amazing fans that have made the first 8 shows on the tour the best experience of our lives. We are truly sorry to disappoint anybody that has purchased a ticket to see us perform and we hope to make it up to you in the future.”
So far, it’s looking like the allegations against Hedley are not affecting the tour as a whole, which is set to reach Brandon, Manitoba later this evening. The Brandon Sun confirmed yesterday that the show would go on.
And Neon Dreams – consisting of Frank Kadillac, Corey LeRue, Matt Gats and Adrian Morris – are not the only ones looking to cut ties.
Watchdog Management and The Feldman Agency, the agencies managing Hedley, issued their own statement this morning indicating they were moving on from the band:
“Given the multiple allegations against Hedley, we have taken the decision to terminate our business relationships with the band, effective immediately.”
Yesterday, Corus Radio suspended airplay of Hedley’s music across 30 stations while various other stations, including CBC, have indicated Hedley would be pulled from their station and streaming platforms.
CARAS, the organization that runs the JUNO Awards, has also announced that Hedley has been removed from the 2018 lineup. They’re nominated for three awards this year.
And it doesn’t stop there. Even a charity that Hedley supports is looking to go another direction. WE, a philanthropic organization released a short statement saying it had “no plans to work with Hedley in the future.”
Statement from Hedley
In a statement released on Wednesday, Hedley has called the allegations unsubstantiated:
“All of us in Hedley respect and applaud the #MeToo movement and the open and honest discussion it has inspired. We believe these conversations are particularly important within the music industry, which does not exactly have an enviable history of treating women with the respect they deserve. We appreciate the bravery of those who have come forward with their own stories, and we realize that all of us, as individuals and as a society, can and must do better when it comes to this issue.
However, if we are to have a meaningful, open and honest discussion, we all have to accept and respect that there are at least two sides to every story. The recent allegations against us posted on social media are simply unsubstantiated and have not been validated. We would hope that people will bear-in-mind the context in which these unsupported accusations have been made before passing judgment on us as individuals or as a band.
We realize the life of a touring band is an unconventional one. While we are all now either married or have entered into committed, long-term relationships, there was a time, in the past, when we engaged in a lifestyle that incorporated certain rock and roll clichés. However, there was always a line that we would never cross.
We realize this conversation is as important to our fans as it is to us, and we never want to distract from these important discussions. To that end, as we move forward, we will be evaluating some of our next steps. Hedley’s music should only ever be a positive force, and our performances and personal appearances should continue to be inclusive and safe experiences that bring nothing but joy and happiness to our fans.”