Most people are aware that ZOEgirl has disbanded as of December 2006. However, there seems to be a huge misunderstanding among fans as to why they broke up in the first place. Let’s begin by clarifying some false rumours that have been spreading around:
1. Alisa wanted to leave the group.
2. Their most recent CD did not sell as well as expected.
3. They all wanted to pursue solo careers.
Even though the headlines were “Alisa leaves ZOEgirl” the group did not break-up on account of losing one of its members.
In August 2006, Chrissy Conway-Katina and her husband James Katina, brought their first child, Haylee Raine, into the world. Of course, this would make it difficult for Chrissy to tour, record and produce more music with her two band mates. Shortly after, Kristin learned that she was pregnant with her first child.
During 2005 and 2006, Alisa was inspired so much that she wrote several songs, none of which could be included on any ZOEgirl CD’s because they did not match the genre. She decided in 2006 that it was time for her to pursue a solo career because of Chrissy and Kristin’s babies who would occupy most of their time. Evidently, there was really no choice for Alisa except to go solo. Kristin and Chrissy had also written songs over the years that they planned on putting on their own solo albums, though, in the end, Alisa and Kristin were the only ones that ended up recording solo albums.
During a reunion interview on the Brian Mason show in 2011, Alisa had stated another reason for why they disbanded. ZOEgirl debuted during the era when boy bands reigned. In 2006, the music scene had changed quite a bit, with a lesser focus on pop. The girls stated they felt they had one of three choices: either to change their style dramatically, slowly ‘fade out’, or just ‘burn out’. As Brian stated, they didn’t want “to be asked to leave” the music scene. It was just the right time for everything to end.
A lot of people have pointed out this as evident of “the curse of the New Artist of the Year”, which refers to the fact that several of the artists who have won the New Artist of the Year Award at the GMA’s disbanded within a couple years of winning the award. ZOEgirl’s break-up, however, was not because of a label dispute or artistic differences, but because of expanding families and an aging fanbase.
