Lady Gaga has been basking in the shine from her role in A Star Is Born.
But she is now facing backlash for her decision to duet with R. Kelly.
The singer, 32, collaborated with Kelly in 2013 recording duet “Do What U Want (With My Body)”, broke her silence on Wednesday night in the midst of the abuse allegations around the musician.
Gaga also vowed to have the track removed from iTunes and all streaming services.
Kelly, 52, has recently come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the Lifetime docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, that features interviews with women who claim that for decades the hit-making singer and producer used his power and influence to sexually and physically abuse women and young girls.
“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 began the post on her Instagram Stories.
“What I am hearing about the allegations against R Kelly is absolutely horrifying and indefensible.”
“As a victim of sexual assault myself, I made both the song and video at a dark time in my life, my intention was to create something extremely defiant and provocative because I was angry and still hadn’t processed the trauma that had occurred in my own life,” she explained of her collaboration with Kelly.
“The song is called ‘Do What U Want (With My Body)’, I think it’s clear how explicitly twisted my thinking was at the time,” Gaga added.
“If I could go back and have a talk with my younger self I’d tell her to go through the therapy I have since then, so that I could understand the confused post-traumatic state that I was in — or if therapy was not available to me or anyone in my situation — to seek help, and speak as openly and honestly as possible about what we’ve been through,” she explained.
“I can’t go back, but I can go forward and continue to support women, men and people of all sexual identities, and of all races, who are victims of sexual assault.”
“I have demonstrated stance on this issue and others many times throughout my career. I share this not to make excuses for myself, but to explain. Til it happens to you, you don’t know how it feels. But I do know how I feel now,” Gaga said, before revealing how she planned to move forward.
“I intend to remove the song off of iTunes and other streaming platforms and will not be working with him again,” she explained. “I’m sorry, both for my poor judgement when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner. I love you.”
Gaga also shared the post on her Twitter captioning it, “I stand by anyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault.”
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