I will be honest, I was not happy with Draft King at the start. They developed while Stereopony was still active, even performing during Stereopony's last Christmas live. I felt a little betrayal in that. Maybe that bias carried to the first songs I heard. In particular I didn't like the vocal dynamic of Hiddy and Erica, and the songs seemed flat. I barely followed the band in 2013, but after Hiddy's departure and now with a single voice, I really began to love Draft King and Erica's vocals. Mayonaka Merry Go Round became one of my favorite songs, and I was very happy. I felt the band was maturing with their next release and the production in general was great. With the release of "This is Me" and seeing them perform at Otakon, I thought the future was bright. However, Erica at Otakon seemed uncomfortable to me. Others have mentioned jet lag and a general nervousness. I felt maybe it was disinterest. I simply thought at the time Erica was not as good in public as AIMI was with Stereopony. With the lack of continued production from DK however and now this announcement, in retrospect, I think Erica was already beginning to no longer enjoy her role in the band. Although disappointed in the news, I would prefer the happiness of the artist, so I certainly wish Erica the best in her future. As for Draft King, I think they will find a new vocalist in due time. I hope the vocalist they select fits their sound and their music, and I hope that vocalist can shine in the spotlight and capture the crowd. With that I think Draft King may find even more success than they have currently. I hope the band remains ambitious and innovative, and they continue to produce music that I adore.
I really wonder why she left suddenly, or why she never told before "I'm plannig to do other things". For example, SHISHAMO's former bassist told "i'll not continue to music after I'm 20" and she quitted when she was 20. She couldn't be Aimi, that's true. But she wasn't bad I think. And I think STEREOPONY and Draft King are totally different bands. Draft King isn't the "New STEREOPONY". It seems Nohana and Shiho are very depressed... That's really sad... p.s.: Sorry for my bad English. I study Japanese Language so I became bad at English in these days...
Well Erica was my favorite member. I did like her singing style quite a bit but what I really liked was her songwriting. It was strong and to the point, its a shame we might never get to hear recorded versions of the songs she wrote. The songs they did record I thought were great, I also though Mayonaka Merry go Round was particularly strong. As for her reasons, I mean if she doesn't want to sing anymore it's better for her and the band if she owns it and leaves the band. I'm sure Nohana more than anyone was devastated, I think she really took Stepo's breakup (or rather loss of certain frienships) roughly. I thought DK was going to announce theur albums at the end of their project lives but they .didn't. The fact that they've known this since March I think clearly shows that they had to cancel any such plans. This isn't a sudden thing, they've known for 3 months. I'm sure the search for a new vocalist has already begun, And this search is very important because Erica had distinctive vocals. They need to decide whether they want something similar or possibly head in a new direction. I think now that they're signed with Sun Music, they'll perhaps also have a say. DK is going to have to move quickly to salvage what they've built these past 3 years but knowing Shiho and Nohana (+mao) it'll be fine.
First time heard the news I was like.."Whaat! what is going on??".Disbelieve, I thought everything went smooth for them and kinda expecting some good news after that consecutive live end ,like they gonna release something. I'm feeling horrible the whole day, remind me of what i've felt when Stereopony disband years ago. that same felling, so I really understand what Nohana and the 2 others member feeling at the moment.but I pretty sure they will be ok, as for Erica is to bad that she took the decision coz I think she improve so much for the past three years but I also understand her reasons leaving. Respect. I really hope they can find Erica replacement soon, although maybe need time for my ears to getting used with the new voc sound if they found it. I really hope they continue the band as long as possible and not break up. so what ever decision they took in search for the new vocalist I will support. DK will be fine I'm Sure.
Same here... And I couldn't tell anyone what I felt when I saw Erica's blog because nobody would understand what'd I feel... I couldn't even focus my guitar exercises.
This announcement came very suddenly for me, seeing as I haven't really followed Draft King or been very active around Nohana, Shiho or Mao after Stereopony split up. Although saddened by her departure I do understand what's she's going through after reading her message. I think that if she doesn't feel any joy in writing and performing music anymore she shouldn't have to either. She made a very brave decision in leaving the band as it is obvious that she knows how a lot of fans will feel about this. Although it's very saddening to see the rest of the band feeling down over this, I really respect Erica's decision to leave and I wish her all the best in her future, whatever it may be and I also hope that Draft King will keep moving forward with a new vocalist and make more great music for all of their fans.
