Longtime Deftones bassist Sergio Vega has left the band.
Rumors of Vega’s departure began after Deftones’ Spotify page was recently updated with a new photo without him in it. In an Instagram video posted late Tuesday night, Vega confirmed he is indeed no longer part of Deftones, and has actually been out of the group since last year.
Vega joined Deftones in 2009 following bassist Chi Cheng‘s tragic 2008 car accident, which eventually led to his death in 2013. In the Instagram video, during which Vega read from a prepared statement, Vega explained that he was always a contracted member of Deftones throughout his 12-year tenure with the band.
“At the start of every album cycle, I asked about becoming an official member, but the contract would be improved instead,” Vega says.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which, Vega says, was a “breaking point” for him.
“I started to question my place in the band, and the future that I wanted for my career,” Vega shares. “I really started to need something stable, because, at that point, my contract with [Deftones] was canceled.”
Around that time, Deftones contacted Vega to discuss an “internal band situation,” which Vega says he was happy to address but also made it known he couldn’t return to his “old contract.” However, when the time came to offer Vega a new contract, he says it was the “same deal,” which he declined.
“I called the guys immediately to see where the miscommunication was to resolve it but there was no response,” Vega says. “A couple of days later, I received an e-mail from their lawyer that their offer was withdrawn and that they wished me the best.”
Vega concluded by thanking Deftones, adding that joining the band “truly changed my life.”
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