Hedley was a Canadian pop rock group that originated in Abbotsford, British… Read Full Bio ↴Hedley was a Canadian pop rock group that originated in Abbotsford, British Columbia, originally formed in 2003. They were named after the unincorporated community of Hedley, British Columbia, a name chosen after members heard that it was for sale for $346,000. After lead singer Jacob Hoggard placed third on the second season of Canadian Idol in 2004, the group signed with Universal Music Canada and released their self-titled debut studio album the following year. After signing an international recording contract with Capitol Records in 2006, which brought them an increased American following. Hedley saw commercial success with their subsequent studio albums, including Famous Last Words (2007), The Show Must Go (2009), Storms (2011), Wild Life (2013), Hello (2015) and Cageless (2017).

Following the release of their seventh studio album Cageless (2017) and its accompanying tour, current members of Hedley faced accusations of sexual misconduct with young women over the course of their career. After Hoggard faced additional accusations of sexual assault by two women, the group confirmed they would enter an indefinite hiatus.

On July 23, 2018, Hoggard was charged with one count of Sexual Interference and two counts of Sexual Assault Causing Bodily Harm. On June 5, 2022, Hoggard was convicted of sexually assaulting the Ottawa woman.

On November 8, 2018, former drummer of the band Chris Crippin spoke out against Hoggard's behaviour during his time with the band. Crippin stated he was routinely called a "f*ggot" and was told to "shut the fuck up" when he tried to speak out. In a separate interview in July 2019, Crippin said that Hoggard was "extremely rude" and it wasn't behaviour he wanted to be around.

On October 20, 2022, Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard was sentenced to 5 years in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting an Ottawa woman.