Lady Gaga Apologizes for Working With R. Kelly, Will Remove Song

Lady Gaga has issued a strong statement condemning R. Kelly and apologizing for her collaboration with him in the past.

The docuseries Surviving R. Kelly aired last week, and provided an in depth investigation into allegations that singer R. Kelly has assaulted and brainwashed women as well as young girls under the legal age of consent. These accusations are anything but new, though the appearance of the docuseries has renewed frustrations with people who previously collaborated with him in spite of them.

Gaga brought R. Kelly in for her 2013 single “Do What U Want” from her album Artpop. Most egregiously, the song is often read as being, in part, about sexual submission and assault, something Lady Gaga has been open about her personal experiences with in the recent years.

On Wednesday, Gaga finally released a statement on Twitter about her feelings on this whole situation:

“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,” she wrote. “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 the 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.”

Prior to Gaga’s collaboration with him, R. Kelly had been arrested for child pornography twice as well as had lawsuits brought against him for sexual misconduct. And, infamously, he married the late singer Aaliyah when she was only 15, and he was 27.

But Gaga seems all too aware now of the mistake she made working with him, and made a pledge to continue to be an advocate for victims of sexual assault.

“I share this not to make excuses for myself, but to explain…I intend to remove this song off of iTunes and other streaming platforms and will not be working with him again. I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner.”