Former As I Lay Dying guitarist Nick Hipa has finally broken his silence on his exit from the band last year.
In a post to his Instagram Tuesday, Hipa thanked fans for their concern and updating them on his career and life since leaving the band. Starts the post,
“I am deeply appreciative for the love, care, and concern I have been messaged with over the past year while being largely absent from social activity. My days have been occupied with a motion design career, deep focus on my family, taking care of my health, and working on other creative projects. Real life has a way of crowding out time for things like social media, so I apologize to those of you who reached out to me for answers regarding my disassociation from As I Lay Dying and never heard back. I’ve been trying to move on peacefully in life.”
Hipa then mentions the band’s lack of a response to his departure, calling it an example of the kind of activity that led him to leave.
“At this point though, it has been well over a year since I have distanced myself from them on a personal and professional level. In that time they have only given fans merchandising posts and show announcements. This sort of activity highlights and reinforces our differences.”
He remains fairly vague about the exact events that made him leave, only saying that “the story and meaning we built our reunion upon decayed considerably over time.”
“What primarily endures is a superficial pursuit I cannot justify supporting or being part of. This is not an indictment on any who choose to remain or be involved. There is tremendous good that can be accomplished through singular focus on the power of music. However to my memory and recent experience, it comes at the cost of tolerating behavior which at times mistreats, disrespects, and hurts other people. I do not have it in me to walk that road again.”
It was first reported in August 2020 that Hipa had left the band following the removal of his name from the line-up on the band’s social media accounts and removal of the band’s name from Hipa’s social media accounts.
Hipa ends the post by wishing the rest of As I Lay Dying well and remarking how grateful he is for the people he’s met and experiences he’s had over the years.
“The talent and unshakeable ambition of the band is undeniable. They will continue to release successful music and do great business. On a human level, I hope everything else fares well for them. I am grateful for the lessons I’ve learned and the incredible people I’ve been able to meet and connect with the past 17 years.”
As I Lay Dying, including Hipa, released their latest album, ‘Shaped By Fire,’ in 2019.
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