Lady Gaga apologizes for working with R Kelly, promises to remove duet from iTunes

After a documentary named “Surviving R Kelly” detailed abuse allegations against the R&B singer by numerous women, Lady Gaga apologized for working with Kelly in a statement on her official Twitter page. She also promised to remove their 2013 single “Do What U Want” from streaming services, as a gesture of support for the accusers.

“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 wrote in the statement. She added that she will not work with Kelly again. “I intend to remove this song off of iTunes and other streaming platforms and will not be working with him again,” she said. “I’m sorry, both for my poor judgment when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner.”

Gaga had come under scrutiny in 2013 when she decided to collaborate with Kelly, despite his alleged history of sexual misconduct, performing the song together at the American Music Awards that same year. The duo staged the track together on Saturday Night Live and the American Music Awards, performing a raunchy dance routine.

However, Kelly has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct against him and has reportedly asserted that he would sue everybody involved in the production and airing of the Lifetime docuseries.