What did Tilian Pearson do? Dance Gavin Dance vocalist exits band amid misconduct allegations

Vocalist Tilian Pearson will step away from his band Dance Gavin Dance to seek professional help after the recent s*xual misconduct allegations levelled against him. The news was announced by the band on Friday. They issued an official statement that read,

“The recent allegations against Tilian are something we take very seriously, and we have been in deep discussion regarding the appropriate action. Effective immediately, Tilian will be stepping away from the band in order to seek professional help.”

The band also revealed that they will continue to tour this summer and that their album Jackpot Juicer will be released on July 29. They stated that they worked really hard on the album, which is the final documented body of work of the band's veteran bassist Tim. The latter died a sudden death on April 13.

Accusations against Tilian Pearson

On June 1, a Reddit user shared a 6,000-word account of her alleged interactions with Tilian Pearson around the time the band performed at SwanFest in Sacramento, California on April 23. The user claimed that she was in touch with Pearson through a DM on Instagram, which she sent when she was under the influence of something.

The two then swapped phone numbers and agreed to meet up for a "date" before the festival. She said that she and Pearson were inebriated before returning to the singer's residence.

Pearson during their supposed date mentioned that he was going through a tough time. The woman alleged that despite her efforts to help him through this, the singer chose to slap her across the face. At this juncture the woman said,

“Obviously, it was in an attempt to be ~s*xy~ but it ended up REALLY hurting. I voiced this like, ‘Hey, uh. That’s cool and all but could you ask next time, and maybe not do it as hard."

The next time, Pearson hesitated for a moment before doing it again, and this time the slap was so hard that she almost blacked out.

Pearson stayed in touch with the woman after the festival, and the former invited her to meet him at his AirBnB while he was inebriated. The woman said that the singer took offence to her attempts to establish physical boundaries while she was there and made her physically uncomfortable.

The woman alleged that she was physically hurt and that, despite her desire to not want to spend the night with him, he forced her to do so. He got into a "weird cuddling position", she said, and that she couldn't move. In her post, she added,

"I was starting to get a little freaked out and tried to tell him I should leave, but again. He wouldn’t let me. He kept insisting I had to stay the night with him, and he wouldn't let me go,"

Pearson denies any misconduct in a deleted Reddit response. The musician claims that he was "very vulnerable" during the alleged encounter and that the "s*xual act was purely consensual."

Tilian Pearson, in brief

Tilian Pearson is mostly known as the vocalist for the band, Dance Gavin Dance. He started his career as the lead vocalist and guitarist in the progressive rock band, Tides of Man.

The 34-year-old joined Dance Gavin Dance in August 2012 and released their album, Acceptance Speech, in 2013. Their sixth album, Instant Gratification, was a big hit and their first top 40 US Billboard 200 album.

Pearson has released four studio albums and two extended plays. His first studio albums, Material Me and Perfect Enemy, were released on the record label Vital Recordings. The Skeptic and Factory Rest were his next studio albums and he has appeared in many other musical groups and artists’ songs.