Lady Gaga has apologized for working with R. Kelly within the beneath assertion posted to Twitter tonight. “I stand behind these women 1000%, believe them, know they are suffering and in pain, and feel strongly that their voices should be heard and taken seriously,” Gaga stated, referring to the ladies who spoke out towards Kelly within the new documentary collection “Surviving R. Kelly.” She then apologized for working with Kelly. “I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner,” she wrote.
Gaga additionally introduced intentions to take away her collaboration with Kelly, the 2013 ARTPOP single “Do What U Want,” from iTunes and streaming providers. Gaga and Kelly carried out the track collectively on “Saturday Night Live” and on the American Music Awards. She additionally vowed to by no means work with Kelly once more. In the assertion, she mentioned the track’s creation and her impressions of it now.
As a sufferer of sexual assault myself, I made each the track and the video at a darkish time in my life, my intention was to create one thing extraordinarily defiant and provocative as a result of I used to be offended and nonetheless hadn’t processed the trauma that had occurred in my very own life. The track is named “Do What U Want (With My Body),” I believe it’s clear how explicitly twisted my considering was on the time.
If I might return and have a chat with my youthful self I’d inform her to undergo the remedy I’ve since then, in order that I might perceive the confused post-traumatic state that I used to be in—or if remedy was not out there to me or anybody in my state of affairs—to hunt assist, and converse as brazenly and actually as doable about what we’ve been via.
Gaga’s apology arrives as girls proceed to talk out publicly about R. Kelly’s historical past of alleged abuse. Lifetime lately aired “Surviving R. Kelly,” a documentary collection that featured interviews with a number of girls—together with Kitti Jones and Andrea Kelly—who’ve accused Kelly of abuse. The collection additionally included interviews with John Legend and Chance the Rapper, who stated it “was a mistake” to collaborate with R. Kelly on 2015’s “Somewhere in Paradise.”
Lady Gaga has lengthy been an advocate for sexual assault survivors. In 2014, she revealed that she was sexually assaulted at age 19. The subsequent 12 months, she launched the track “Til It Happens to You” for The Hunting Round, a documentary about sexual assault on school campuses. “Til It Happens to You” was nominated for Best Original Song on the 2016 Academy Awards, the place Gaga also performed the song.
Gaga co-wrote an op-ed with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2015, urging state lawmakers to assist insurance policies to fight sexual assault on the state’s public school campuses. The state’s “Enough Is Enough” legislation was handed shortly after.
This article was initially revealed on January 10 at 12:48 a.m. Eastern. It was final up to date on January 10 at 1:02 a.m. Eastern.
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