Home Free founding member and baritone singer Chris Rupp has announced he is leaving the group.

The popular vocal harmony group posted the news to their official website on Friday (March 18), writing, "After much consideration our founder, Chris Rupp, has decided he will be moving on from Home Free and pursuing his solo career and passion projects, including his recent album, Shine."

Rupp and his brother, Adam, founded the group with three members who later departed. Austin Brown, Rob Lundquist and Tim Foust joined later, and the group found fame when they competed on the reality television singing competition The Sing-Off. Since then they have become one of the most popular a capella groups in music, working extensively in country music.

"We would not be here without Chris. He is the founder of this group and has achieved so much — even more than thought possible — with us, but he’s ready for a new chapter in his life," the announcement continues. "And this is not a good bye to Chris. We’ll still be collaborating with him on various projects. We could not be more excited for Chris’ future musical endeavors and can’t wait to see all of the content that’s coming! This is a culmination of 15 years of hard work… we support him 100%, and we want you to support him as well."

The other members of Home Free assure their fans that they are not breaking up. They will welcome a new member, Adam Chance, into the fold after Rupp performs his final show with the group on May 8 in St. Cloud, Minn.

"There has already been an outpouring of love and support for Chris’ new project, and we could not be more excited for the future of his and Home Free’s work," the statement concludes. "We could not be doing this without you all."

Most Anticipated Albums of 2016