Niagara singer backs out of performance with Hedley
With allegations of sexual misconduct continuing to surface against Canadian rock band Hedley, Niagara singer Jessica Wilson will decline her chance to play with the band in St. Catharines next week. Wilson, 21, won a radio contest in December to perform Hedley’s recent single “Better Days” with the group when they play Meridian Centre March 7. But as accusations against the band have mounted, some involving fans as young as 14, the Welland resident said it was “the right thing to do” to cancel. “Obviously, I wish that things could have gone differently,” she says. “But given the circumstances, I knew that I had to pull out.” Wilson beat out nearly 30 other competitors to win a contest offered by Niagara station 105.7 EZ Rock, submitting a video of herself performing “Better Days” acoustically. A huge Hedley fan, Wilson also won two front row tickets to the show. But she says she will not be attending the show at all considering recent events. “It’s difficult to hear that one of your favourite bands or one of your favourite artists could do something like this,” she says. In a Facebook statement last month, Hedley called the allegations “simply unsubstantiated,” but acknowledged they had “engaged in a lifestyle that incorporated certain rock and roll clichés” at one time. The fallout was harsh: The band was dropped by its management group, The Feldman Agency, and their songs were pulled from radio stations across the country. A planned performance at the Juno Awards March 25 was also cancelled. On Wednesday, Hedley singer Jacob Hoggard released a statement on Twitter saying while he never engaged in non-consensual sex, he has “behaved in a way that objectified women” over the past 13 years. “The way I’ve treated women was reckless and dismissive of their feelings,” he said. “I have been careless and indifferent and I have no excuse. For this I am truly sorry.” He also announced he would step away from his career “indefinitely” following the band’s tour in order to make “real changes in my life.” Despite the controversy, the band’s current Cageless tour has continued with only one cancellation — Caesars Windsor casino March 11.
Meridian Centre director of marketing Key Meilleur says the status of the March 7 show is “unchanged and the band is scheduled to perform as the tour continues. “We continue to work closely with the promoter of this tour and will take direction from them.” As with other recent shows of the tour, media have been uninvited to the Meridian Centre concert. Meilleur says the arena is awaiting word from the tour promoter on requests for refunds. Wilson, who won the People’s Choice Award at the Niagara Music Awards last September, says “it wouldn’t have been right” to go ahead with the performance. “I wasn’t going to be selfish and put my career over 50 women who have come out (with allegations),” she says. “I’m obviously thankful for the opportunity … but this is just what I have to do right now, for me and the girls.”