Entertainment Music Avi Kaplan Announces He's 'Taking a Step Back' from Pentatonix in Tearful Facebook Video Avi Kaplan has announced that he will be "taking a step back" from the a cappella group in an tearful video posted to Facebook on Friday afternoon By Jordan Runtagh Jordan Runtagh Jordan Runtagh is an executive podcast producer at iHeartRadio, where he hosts a slate of pop culture shows including Too Much Information, Inside the Studio, Off the Record and Rivals: Music's Greatest Feuds. Previously, he served as a music editor at PEOPLE and VH1.com. He's written about art and entertainment for more than a decade, regularly contributing to outlets like Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly, and appearing as a guest on radio and television. Over the course of his career, he's profiled the surviving Beatles, Brian Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Roger Waters, David Byrne, Pete Townshend, Debbie Harry, Quincy Jones, Brian May, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Taylor and many more. A graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, he lives in Brooklyn, where he can be found DJing '60s soul records. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 12, 2017 04:15PM EDT Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage Pentatonix may now be down to four. Member Avi Kaplan has announced that he will be “taking a step back” from the a cappella group in a tearful video posted to Facebook on Friday afternoon. Flanked by his fellow band mates Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, and Kevin Olusola, the singer revealed that he’s been grappling with the choice for a long time—calling it the “one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my entire life”—and thanked fans for the years of support. “It far surpassed anything I could have ever dreamed for my life.” He cites Pentatonix’s fast-paced touring schedule as a major factor in his choice to leave the group. “It’s been extremely hard for me to not be able to see my family or friends when I need to or when they need to see me,” he explains. “It’s been hard for me to just escape to nature when I’m feeling overwhelmed or when I just need time for myself.” The video was accompanied by a lengthy Facebook message, in which he says he will carry out the remainder of his scheduled dates with the band, and wishes them well in the future. “I believe in what we do, and I believe in what they will do,” he said. “I could never inhibit their success in any way. I would never, ever want that.” Daniel Zuchnik/WireImage The group first burst into the pop culture stage in 2010 after winning season 3 of NBC’s The Sing-Off. Since then they’ve produced a number of high-profile collaborations and tribute performances. Their version of “Jolene” with Dolly Parton exploded online last year, and earned Pentatonix a Grammy for best country duo/group performance. Kaplan concludes the farewell Facebook message by confirming that he intends to continue to make music. “I will ALWAYS do my best to lift others up with my voice. I hope that you’ll all support my decision and that you can understand where I’m coming from. And regardless of anything, I just want to thank you for all that you’ve given to me. I have been so unbelievably blessed and humbled to be a part of all your lives in any way and I wanted you to hear this from me. From my voice. And from my heart.”