Lady Gaga confirmed that she is removing her collaboration with R. Kelly “Do What U Want” from digital retailers and streaming services.
The A Star Is Born singer/actress has spoken out about allegations of sexual misconduct against Kelly, concluding that their duet will be removed from official outlets and that she “will not be working with him again.” This comes after fans spoke out on Twitter urging the singer to condemn R Kelly.
Gaga explained in a statement: “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. What I am hearing about the allegations against R Kelly are absolutely horrifying and indefensible.”
“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. I love you.”
“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. 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 explained.
“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.”
Kelly has long denied any claims of sexual misconduct.
