A duet by Lady Gaga and hiphop performer R. Kelly has been yanked from her 2013 album release Artpop on both iTunes and Apple Music.
The duet Do What U Want (With My Body) was track 7 on the album, which now jumps straight from track 6 to track 8 …
Lady Gaga tweeted an explanation in a tweet headed ‘I stand by anyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault.’ R. Kelly has been accused of a variety of serious crimes, including sexual abuse of both children and adults.
Lady Gaga tweeted the following:
I stand behind these women 1,000%, 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 is absolutely horrifying and indefensible.
As a victim of sexual assault myself, I made 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. 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.
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. 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.
The singer apologizes for what she says was “poor judgement” and says she is sorry for not speaking out sooner.
Apple Music last year stopped promoting R. Kelly’s music via its playlists. However, his music is still available on the streaming platform.