Phoenix have apologized for collaborating with R. Kelly in 2013, writing on Twitter, “We are deeply horrified by the stories of abuse surrounding R. Kelly.” R. Kelly and Phoenix partnered twice in 2013. First, the R&B singer joined the French group on stage at Coachella, while later in the year they released a remix of Phoenix’s Bankrupt! single, “Trying to Be Cool.”
On Twitter, Phoenix continued, “We regret that we were not both more informed and more discerning when we worked with him previously. We fully support all victims of sexual abuse, and it’s our hope that there will be a path to justice.”
We are deeply horrified by the stories of abuse surrounding R. Kelly.
We regret that we were not both more informed and more discerning when we worked with him previously. We fully support all victims of sexual abuse, and it’s our hope that there will be a path to justice.— Phoenix (@wearephoenix) January 10, 2019
Phoenix are the latest outfit to apologize for working with R. Kelly following the bombshell docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly. Early Thursday morning, Lady Gaga issued statement in which she said she stood by all sexual assault survivors and expressed regret for working with R. Kelly on her ARTPOP track “Do What U Want (With My Body)” (they also performed the song on Saturday Night Live and at the American Music Awards). Gaga also noted in her statement that “Do What U Want” will be removed from iTunes and “other streaming platforms.”
The final episode of Surviving R. Kelly also featured a portion of an interview – originally conducted by Cassius‘ Jamilah Lemieux – in which Chance the Rapper said he made a “mistake” when he recorded “Somewhere in Paradise” with R. Kelly.
Surviving R. Kelly, which aired last week, includes interviews with several women, who have accused the singer of sexual assault and abuse. The documentary has prompted authorities in Chicago and Atlanta to begin investigating the claims of abuse against the singer.