Vocalist for Hit the Lights Leaves Band

Hit the Lights

Colin Ross, the vocalist for Hit The Lights, has left the band. Below is a message from the band as well as Colin.

Message From Band

Hey guys and gals. Greetings from Lima, Ohio. As you all know we have been home writing so that we may bring you a brand new record with high hopes that 1 You’re actually looking forward to it, and 2. You’re going to absolutely love it! 

With that being said, we have an unfortunate announcement to make. Our vocalist, Colin Ross, has decided to leave Hit The Lights. We know that this probably will bum a lot of you out, as it breaks our hearts to see someone we care so deeply about decide that he doesn’t share the same aspirations that we do. This spans back to almost a year ago with Colin having doubts about life on the road compared to a “normal” life. We managed to convince him to stay in the band for some time, however, over that period we saw the love of the band slowly fade from his eyes. This probably comes as a shock to many, but to us it was just something that we knew would eventually happen. We don’t want Colin to leave. We believe that he has a gift and he was put on this earth for something great, but what really matters is what makes him happy. 

After much thought and deliberation we have decided that we just can’t throw in the towel. We’ve had to push our way through this scene from the very start and everything that we have we believe, we’ve earned. We’ve done it without major label backing, we’ve done it without band cliques and fads, and we’ve done it without gimmicks and marketing. We’ve just begun to see this band’s potential and in the past two years of straight touring, we’re finally feeling that our efforts are paying off. It’s all due to you, the kids coming out to the shows, actually BUYING our cd’s, and even leaving comments on our myspace page. You guys are the ONLY reason why we’ve made it even this far, and this far is pretty impressive for a few pop-punk ohio kids who just wanted to get out of Lima. 

With all this being said, we are writing the best songs we’ve ever written, and we feel confident that we will get through this. A new singer isn’t something that can just be “done” and we understand that in order to come back from this we will need better songs, a better live show, and most importantly, an amazing vocalist. 

To wrap it up, not the best news to hear, but certainly not the worst thing that can happen to us. It’s a new ball game for us now, the search is on and we’re not going anywhere. WE’VE HAD YOUR BACKS FOR YEARS, NOW SHOW US YOU HAVE OURS.

Message From Colin

I have come to the decision to leave Hit The Lights. It’s been a great time being in this band and I have a lot of amazing memories from it. After a long thought out process I have decided I would like to take a different direction with my life and not live this lifestyle any longer. There are no hard feelings between the band and I. We sat down and discussed this and we felt like it might just be the best thing. I really hate to say this, and writing this letter is even harder but it just wouldn’t be right for me to stay in the band if my heart wasn’t in it 100%. I do want to thank everyone for their support. I also want you to know that this is not the end of Hit The Lights. These guys are still on schedule and planning on recording a new record in the fall. I want to wish these guys the best of luck because they deserve it. They are working very hard right now for this next record, and I know that you all are going to be very happy with the outcome. Thanks again everyone.

This article was originally published on AbsolutePunk.net