Bassist Sergio Vega, who has been with Deftones since 1999, has announced his departure from the band.
The musician decided to update fans after the band updated their Spotify profile picture. Throughout the video, in which he reads a statement about his history with Deftones, Vega recalls joining the band, initially as a temporary replacement for Chi Cheng, taking the position permanently from 2009 onwards, a few years before the death of the original bassist and vocalist.
Despite being in the band for 23 years, Sergio Vega said that the promise of becoming an official member of the group was always postponed, despite his repeated expressions of interest, and the musician worked on a contract basis.
At the time of the pandemic, that agreement was not renewed. “I started to question my place in the band and the future I wanted for my career. I really started to need something stable,” he said in the video (via ThePRP).
Despite not being under contract with the band, Vega claims he was urgently called to Los Angeles to help the group with "an internal matter." The bassist reaffirmed his commitment to Deftones, but informed his bandmates that he could no longer continue with the same contract.
“Our managers had a conversation to discuss a new contract and offered me the same deal. At that point, it became clear that there was no opportunity for growth for me. So I refused the offer. And then I called the guys immediately to find out where the communication breakdown was and resolve it. But there was no response,” Vega continued in the video.
The band's last communication with Vega was via email, withdrawing the offer for the same contract and wishing the musician good luck. Having left Deftones at the end of 2021, the bassist works as a songwriter and producer for other artists, in addition to focusing on his work with the band Quicksand.
“Finally, thank you to Deftones. I wish I had the chance to say this in person. I appreciate all the years we’ve spent together,” Vega concluded. “I’ve learned so much from each of you. When you recruited me, you created a new sense of passion for music that I will always love and carry with me. You truly changed my life.”
