August 20th 2024.
In 2013, Ian Watkins, the former lead singer of Lostprophets, was sentenced to prison for his heinous crimes. The news of his conviction sent shockwaves through the music industry and devastated his bandmates and label owner, Julie Weir.
Weir recently opened up about the catastrophic fallout from Watkins' conviction in a new interview. She revealed that she first found out about the news through a phone call with her manager and immediately knew it wasn't good. The band had been signed to her record label, Visible Noise, for over a decade and she had never suspected anything like this from Watkins.
According to Weir, there were a lot of things happening behind the scenes that no one knew about. She had always seen the band members as straight-laced individuals and never could have imagined something like this happening. The news also had a major impact on the label, which had other successful artists like Bullet For My Valentine and Bring Me the Horizon. Weir described it as "absolutely catastrophic" for the label and for the people whose lives were affected by the band's music.
Lostprophets had sold millions of albums worldwide and had a devoted fan base, which made the news even more shocking. Weir reflected on how the band's music and image were still present in people's lives through tattoos, Reddit and YouTube content, and it was a constant reminder of what had happened.
The fallout from Watkins' conviction also affected Weir personally. She had spent half of her life working with the band and building the label, and suddenly it was all taken away. She described it as "insane and brilliant" while acknowledging that the world had changed and that era was gone.
In 2016, the label became defunct, just three years after Watkins' conviction and the band's disbandment. Weir admitted that it was a difficult time, and she even had a crisis of consciousness due to the backlash and attacks she received online. She recalled receiving threatening messages and even photos of her office door. However, she has since moved on and is now the director of Music for Nations, a subsidiary of Sony.
Meanwhile, Watkins' former bandmates went on to form a new band called No Devotion in 2014. In an interview with BBC Newsbeat, they expressed their shock and disbelief at Watkins' crimes, stating that they had no idea about it. Guitarist Lee Gaze explained that it was impossible to know because Watkins would have been killed if he had disclosed such information to them.
However, the aftermath of Watkins' conviction continued to make headlines. In 2017, it was revealed that he had been grooming a young mother from behind bars, resulting in her toddler being taken into care. And in 2023, Watkins was attacked by three inmates in prison, who held him hostage and beat him. It was later discovered that he had been stabbed with a sharpened toilet brush due to a drug debt.
Despite the dark turn of events, Weir believes that it's important to acknowledge the good memories that came out of working with Lostprophets. However, she also acknowledges the lasting impact it has had on her and the people involved. If you have a story to share about Watkins or the band, you can contact the entertainment team at The Agency.
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