Founding Kasabian vocalist Tom Meighan has ended his 23-year relationship with the group, with “personal issues” cited as the reason for his departure.
Sharing the news via Twitter overnight, the official Kasabian account revealed that the decision was made by “mutual consent”, with Meighan’s exit being made in an attempt for the 39-year-old to “concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track”.
“Tom Meighan is stepping down from Kasabian by mutual consent,” the official statement reads. “Tom has struggled with personal issues that have affected his behaviour for quite some time and now wants to concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track. We will not be commenting further.”
In his own statement shared to Twitter soon after, Meighan reassured fans he is “doing well” and that he’s “in a really good place now”.
Tom Meighan is stepping down from Kasabian by mutual consent. Tom has struggled with personal issues that have affected his behaviour for quite some time and now wants to concentrate all his energies on getting his life back on track. We will not be commenting further.
— KasabianHQ (@KasabianHQ) July 6, 2020
https://twitter.com/MeighanOfficial/status/1280130108049817600
Having co-founded Kasabian back in 1997, Meighan was instrumental in the group’s success, with his reputation as an enigmatic and arresting frontman helping to drive the group’s popularity not just in their native England, but in countries such as Australia as well.
In 2014, Kasabian were listed as one of the headline acts on the 2014 Glastonbury Festival, alongside the likes of Metallica and Arcade Fire. In 2017, they released what is ostensibly their last album with Meighan on vocals, with For Crying Out Loud giving them their fifth consecutive UK number one.
However, Meighan’s behaviour occasionally-controversial statements and behaviour often made headlines that overshadowed the group’s success. In 2017, Meighan spoke to Q magazine and explained how he had gone through a period of difficulty following the breakup of a longtime relationship and the loss of a close friend.
“I had to sort my head out. My attitude. Stuff I was doing. People I was associating with. Not bad people. I was the one that was bad,” Meighan explained.
“I was making myself ill, I ain’t gonna lie, my mind was jolted. I wasn’t taking responsibility and it affected everyone around me, horrendous.”
Just weeks ago, Meighan told Sky News that the band had been looking towards their seventh studio album, with plans to formally begin the creative process once COVID-19 restrictions had lifted.
“We need a seventh baby,” Meighan said. “We’re going to try and make a new record as soon as we can but we can’t really do anything while we’re restricted. Serge has been writing songs for Kasabian so it’s all good.”
There is currently no word as to whether Kasabian will continue as a trio or if they will seek to replace Meighan.
