Hedley fans consider impact of Hoggard charges on their devotion

TORONTO — Their songs were the soundtrack to many fans’ formative years, but as frontman Jacob Hoggard heads to court on sexual-assault charges, some Hedley followers are considering how the news impacts their devotion to the band.

Hoggard, 34, is scheduled to appear in a Toronto courtroom on Thursday to face one count of sexual interference and two counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm.

Police allege the offences happened on three dates in 2016 after a man met with a woman and a girl on separate occasions. Hoggard’s lawyer declined to comment on the charges.

Hoggard has previously denied ever engaging in non-consensual sexual behaviour, but has said he behaved in a way that objectifies women.

But many Hedley fans say it’s been hard to reconcile the charges against Hoggard with the man they feel they’ve come to know.

Jackie Naccache, a 24-year-old in Waterloo, Ont., said as an aspiring music therapist at Wilfrid Laurier University, she is of two minds about whether Hedley’s songs can be separated from the allegations against Hoggard.

Her background as a classical musician enables her to differentiate between songs and those who play them, she said, but she also understands that music can engender deep emotional connections to certain periods in one’s life.

She understands that the allegations may hinder some listeners from enjoying Hedley’s songs, but she doesn’t think we should be “policing” the music that may hold special meaning for others.

“There are a lot of emotions that are tied to the nostalgia that music gives,” she said. “I don’t think we should be taking other people’s memories away by putting them down.”