12 musicians who famously left their bands and why

Little Mix has been a popular British girl group since forming on the UK's "The X Factor" in 2011, but in December 2020, member Nelson announced her departure.

The singer cited concerns for her mental health and an interest in wanting to pursue a solo career.

"I constantly compared myself to the others," Nelson told Cosmopolitan UK in 2021. "Of course, a lot of that was in my head, but a lot of it was past trauma ... Now I feel like me. When I look back [at my time] in the band, I genuinely wasn't me. I can't believe how miserable I was."

After releasing the music video for her debut solo, "Boyz," 10 months later, Nelson was accused of cultural appropriation and Blackfishing, when a non-Black individual changes their looks to seem Black or racially ambiguous.

As Insider's Lauren Edmonds reported, Nelson's publicist later told Vulture in a statement on her behalf: "I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look racially ambiguous, so that's why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me."

Little Mix's remaining members, Perry Edwards, Jade Thirlwall, and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, continue to release new music.

Fifth Harmony formed on season two of the US version of "The X Factor" on Fox and grew into a pop powerhouse.

After two successful albums, the band announced Cabello's departure via Twitter in 2016. Cabello went on to have a solo career, something she told The New York Times in 2018 she had always been curious about pursuing.

"I was just curious and I wanted to learn and I saw all these people around me making music, writing songs, and being so free," said Cabello. "It became clear that it was not possible to do solo stuff and be in the group at the same time."

The group continued with only four members, Normani, Lauren Jauregui, Ally Brooke, and Dinah Jane, until their indefinite hiatus in 2018.

One Direction formed on season seven of the UK's "The X Factor" in 2010 and quickly skyrocketed to international fame with successful albums and world tours.

In 2015, band member Malik announced that he was leaving in an official statement on One Direction's social-media accounts. Though the statement had a positive tone, Malik expressed some negative views about the band's musical style in various interviews after going solo.

Malik told The Fader magazine in 2015 that he felt the One Direction music style was "generic as fuck" and told Rolling Stone the same year that the band's music is "not music I would listen to."

After Malik's departure, the remaining band members, Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson, recorded "Made in the A.M." and went on a tour.

The band officially went on hiatus in 2015 — and all of the members have gone on to pursue solo careers.

The Miracles, an R&B group also referred to as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, helped shape music as we know it.

One of the group's founding members, Robinson, contemplated stepping away from the spotlight in 1969 because he had children and had already accomplished so much with the Miracles.

As vice president of Motown Records, Robinson sought to focus on his career at the label and his family life. However, he didn't officially leave the group until 1972.

Although The Miracles ultimately disbanded in 1978, Robinson reunited with his bandmates in 1983 for NBC's "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" special.

British pop sensation the Spice Girls dominated the world of girl groups from their inception in 1994 to their hiatus in 2000.

Fan-favorite member Halliwell, also known as Ginger Spice, announced in 1998 that she was leaving the group due to "differences" and mental-health concerns.

The Spice Girls stayed together for only three years after Halliwell's departure.

In 2007, the band announced their return, complete with a worldwide tour. They continued to occasionally reunite with and without members Victoria Beckham and Melanie Chisholm.

In 2019, during a sold-out reunion performance at Wembley Stadium, Halliwell apologized to her bandmates for leaving 20 years earlier, saying, "I'm sorry I left. I was just being a brat."

Formed in 1977, The Police topped charts and packed stadiums throughout the early 1980s thanks to the group's approach to new-wave rock.

Following the tumultuous recording of their fifth studio album "Synchronicity" and rumored backstage turmoil, the band's hiatus was announced in 1984.

According to Newsday, in the 2010 documentary "The Last Play at Shea," Sting said that he decided to leave The Police while performing at Shea Stadium in 1983 because playing there was their Mount "Everest."

After 20 years apart, The Police reunited for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. The group had its final reunion tour in 2007 and 2008.

The Jonas Brothers formed in 2005 and gained additional popularity from their appearances on the Disney Channel and in the network's "Camp Rock" franchise.

After four successful albums and several sold-out tours, Nick left the band in 2013.

Nick told CBS "Sunday Morning" in 2019 that he had a "tough conversation" with his brothers, Joe and Kevin, about his desire to leave the group.

"I said, 'You know, I feel like the Jonas Brothers should be no more, and we should go on individual journeys,'" Nick said. "And it didn't go so well … I feared that, you know, we–they would never speak to me again."

Joe also pursued a new music venture – the group DNCE — before the three brothers reunited six years later in 2019. They saw success with their recent album, "Happiness Begins," and plan to go on tour later this year.

After a slew of hit singles, multiplatinum albums, and constant touring, Perry, lead singer of internationally-acclaimed band Journey, quit the band.

The vocalist first left the band in 1987, prompting his bandmates to take a hiatus and work on individual projects. Perry's solo career didn't take off.

In the 1990s, the group reunited and recorded "Trial By Fire." In 1996, Perry left the group indefinitely after a hip injury that affected his ability to tour.

Journey replaced Perry with Steve Augeri, who fronted the band until 2006. Journey's current lead singer is Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer and songwriter who was discovered through his covers of Journey hits.

Throughout the 1990s, the pop boy band Backstreet Boys rose to international fame, filling stadiums throughout the world and selling millions of records.

In 2006, the eldest member of the band, Richardson, announced he was leaving the group. According to MTV, in a statement released on the band's website, Richardson said leaving was "a very tough decision for me but one that was necessary in order to move on with the next chapter of my life."

The band never found a replacement, saying in the same statement that "the door will always be open" for Richardson to return. During his time away from the group, Richardson appeared onstage with his band multiple times, but no official reunion occurred until his return in 2012.

The band went on to have a Las Vegas residency and released their latest album in 2019.

Formed in 1973, Van Halen and its original four members made an indelible mark on the rock world, but in 1985, lead singer Roth left the band to pursue his growing solo career.

Roth was replaced with vocalist Sammy Hagar, who left the group in 1996 after a dispute related to recording a song for the "Twister" movie soundtrack, according to Rolling Stone.

After much speculation that a reunion was coming, Van Halen announced in 2007 that Roth would be joining them for a reunion tour.

Roth remained with the group until it disbanded in 2020 following the death of Eddie Van Halen.

Black Sabbath, the iconic rock band known for their pioneering of heavy metal and wild, saw lead singer Osbourne leave in 1979.

Osbourne first left Black Sabbath in 1977 after struggles with mental health and addiction and a growing disinterest in the band's work. He later rejoined the group but was kicked out two years later "after a long run of increasingly erratic drink and drug fuelled behaviour," according to BBC.

"I can say Ozzy was the first one to have to go, but it was hard," Tony Iommi, the band's guitarist, told "Raised on Radio" in 2019. "We had to do something … Everything was coming to a head, and we had to say, 'Well, what are we gonna do? We're either gonna call it a day or break up, or we've gotta try and find another singer.'"

The original members of the band reunited in 1997 and again in 2012, and played their final concert tour in 2017.

The Black Eyed Peas helped skyrocket Stacy "Fergie" Ferguson to international fame, so it came as a surprise to fans when she began to disappear from the band's singles and performances in the mid-2010s.

The band later confirmed Fergie was moving on to pursue her solo career in 2017. Black Eyed Peas bandmate and founding member will.i.am said there weren't any hard feelings and Fergie was "focusing on being a mom."

Fergie released her 2017 "Double Duchess" album and the band replaced her with singer J. Rey Soul in 2018.

Will.i.am told Billboard in 2020 that the group is "here for her, and she knows how to contact us for a retreat or a breakaway."

Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, funk and soul band the Commodores became one of the most popular bands in their genre, topping the charts with hits like "Easy," "Brick House," and "Three Times a Lady."

Despite the band's success, co-lead singer Richie left the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career.

After Richie's departure, the Commodores struggled to capture the success they had when he was a co-lead singer.

Trumpet and keyboard player William King told The Los Angeles Times in 1985 that Richie was their Paul McCartney and that the band was unhappy with the way he left.

"He kept saying he'd be back," King said. "First he was coming back after working with Kenny Rogers. Then he had to do Diana Ross. Then he had to do his own album. Meanwhile, we couldn't work. He wouldn't go on tour. And what promoter would book us without Richie?"

King said that the band was "mad at the procrastination" when Richie didn't rejoin the group. The band never completely reunited.