Former Barenaked Ladies lead singer Steven Page says he decided to leave the band after 20 years in order to focus on other projects and not because of his arrest last summer on drug possession charges.

"It was a tough one," Page told CTV Toronto on Wednesday about the decision.

"But it really felt like it was time. They're really anxious to get back into the studio and make a new Barenaked Ladies record, and I have a million things on the go."

The band's Ed Robertson told CTV Toronto: "It was a difficult day for us, but it was a necessary day. And it didn't just happen today."

The news that Page was leaving the band broke late Tuesday night with a statement posted on the band's website.

The statement said the singer would be departing "by mutual agreement," and that the band's four remaining members -- Jim Creeggan, Kevin Hearn, Robertson and Tyler Stewart -- "will continue recording and touring together as Barenaked Ladies.

"Steven Page will pursue solo projects including theatrical opportunities while the band enters the studio in April 2009, and hits the road in the fall."

Page said he wants to turn his focus to a new solo album, as well as his work with classical-jazz group the Art of Time Ensemble. He will also be writing music for the upcoming Stratford Festival production of Ben Jonson's "Bartholomew Fair."

"As more of these opportunities continue to present themselves, I want to actually make them the focus," Page said. "I've made BNL the focus for 20 years and come up with a huge catalogue of stuff and a huge catalogue of memories that I'm really proud of and happy to celebrate. But the time came and it was something I didn't just decide to do on my own. The five of us worked together on this and felt that this was the right time."

On the band's website were these statements:

"These guys are my brothers. We've grown up together over the past twenty years," the 38-year-old Page said. "I love them and wish them all the best in the future."

Robertson said: "It's the start of a new chapter for all of us. Here's to the future!"

He added in his CTV interview: "We genuinely care about Steve and wish him the best. And we know he cares about us and wishes us the best."

During an interview with CTV Newsnet, Page acknowledged that his drug arrest "was a tough time. To be in the media spotlight like that, especially for something negative, is never a great thing."

Police in Fayetteville, N.Y. charged Page, his girlfriend and her roommate with drug possession last July. They found cocaine in an apartment.

In late October, all three secured a deal that will result in their charges being dropped if they stayed out of trouble for six months.

News of the arrest came just two months after the release of a BNL children's album, "Snack Time."

In another bit of hard luck, Robertson crashed his float plane north of Bancroft, Ont., last year. He and three passengers escaped without serious injury.

Page denied that his brush with the law was the reason for his departure, or that his former band mates fired him over the incident.

"This decision isn't about what happened last summer for any of us," Page said. "But when you have major trauma happen in your life, and this goes for all five of us, it makes you take a good, hard look at what it is you want to do with the rest of your life, or with this next chapter."

Jake Gold, who serves as a judge on CTV's Canadian Idol, said Page's departure probably won't hurt the band's ability to keep touring.

"I think the Ladies have now developed their name to the point where it's like a brand, and when people go to see the show, they're going to hear those great songs over the years and the catalogue of material that they have," he told The Canadian Press on Wednesday.

But Gold, who has been a friend of the Barenaked Ladies since they started out, admitted that it may not be easy to carry on with the loss of a talent like Page.

"I don't know if it's going to do better than it was, but then again, if they can maintain, that's good enough," he said.

Barenaked Ladies first formed in Scarborough, Ont., in 1988.

Since then, they have become among Canada's most accomplished recording artists, with top hits such as "If I had a Million Dollars," "Brian Wilson" and a cover of Bruce Cockburn's "Lovers in a Dangerous Time." The single "One Week" reached the top of the U.S. charts just over a decade ago.

They have won almost 20 Juno Awards and been nominated for two Grammys.

In 1991, the band was ejected from a New Year's Eve concert bill at city hall when a staffer of then-mayor June Rowlands determined that the name "Barenaked Ladies" objectified women. However, it turned out to be a huge publicity boon for the then-young band.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Andria Case and files from The Canadian Press