Kristen May has announced that she’s parted ways with Flyleaf.
She joined the US outfit in 2012, taking over vocal duties from Lacey Sturm who left the band amicably that year. But after spending much of her career away from home, she says now is the time to “plant some roots” so she can be there for her son.
May says in a statement: “The reasons behind my leaving – one of them right now is that I want to be the best mom I can be, and I wanna be here for my son for everything.
“I’ve toured in bands and been on the road and away from home for 12 years. For me to be able to plant some roots for a little bit with my son, my husband and our dogs is really important to me. I feel like it’s something that God has called me to do. I feel like it’s a very high calling for me, and a very clear calling for me.”
May reports she’ll make music again once the time is right, but says that although she’s proud of the one album she recorded with the band, 2014’s Between The Stars, she felt like she “never truly” fit in with the rest of Flyleaf.
She adds: “Though I love the album Between The Stars, and I feel like the guys and I really poured our hearts and souls in it, I never truly felt like I was part of the team in a way that I never truly felt like the band was mine. And I’m sure a lot of people feel that way when they come into a band that had a previous lead singer.
“The story isn’t all mine. And so I never truly felt like I fit in. I just feel like life is too short to stay where you aren’t fully growing. I need to grow and move elsewhere. There’s just so many things I want to do right now, and committing myself to one band just isn’t what is right for me.”
Flyleaf member Sameer Bhattacharya, Jared Hartmann, Pat Seals and James Culpepper have yet to respond to May’s decision.
