On Sunday night, Newsboys took the stage at the Elevate Music Festival in Scottsdale, Arizona, and announced that the band’s record label, Capitol Christian Music Group, has dropped the band.
The three-day festival, which was held at Highlands Church, included artists Colton Dixon, Ben Fuller, Ryan Stevenson, Rachel Purcell, Danny Gokey, Rhett Walker, Consumed By Fire, Cade Thompson, Joseph O’Brien, Mac Powell, Megan Woods, Mia Koehne, and Newsboys.
Before Newsboys’ set on Sunday night, the band came out onstage and spoke to the audience regarding the recent allegations against former lead singer Michael Tait.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of alleged sexual assault that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Tait, who abruptly left Newsboys on Jan. 16, has been accused of grooming, sexually assaulting, and drugging young men—including minors—as well as of watching a young woman be raped in 2014.
On June 5, Newsboys released a statement, saying that the bandmates’ “hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tait.” The band members then explained that they were “devastated even by the implications” of Tait’s alleged actions.
“First and foremost,” Newboys said, “our hearts are with the victims who have bravely shared their stories. If you are a victim, we urge you to come forward. We absolutely do not condone any form of sexual assault.”
Newsboys‘ new frontman, Adam Agee, told members of a Facebook group that the band had confronted Tait regarding abuse “rumors” but that Tait would always “emphatically” deny them.
On June 10, Tait said that “recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity are sadly, largely true,” and he admitted that “for some two decades I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and, at times, touched men in an unwanted sensual way.”
Last week, The Roys Report (TRR) released new testimony from an alleged victim who claims she was raped in 2014 by then-Newsboys lighting technician Matthew Brewer. The survivor, who was 23 years old at the time, along with other witnesses, claim that Tait drugged her and watched the alleged rape take place.
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The witnesses also claim that longtime Newsboys tour manager Steve Campbell then covered up the incident.
