Lady Gaga Apologizes for "Twisted" R. Kelly Song "Do What U Want"

Amid a growing number of sexual misconduct allegations made against R. Kelly, Lady Gaga apologized late Wednesday night for previously collaborating with the R&B singer on ARTPOP.

In the song's chorus, the duo sang, "You can't have my heart and (Help me now) / You won't use my mind / But do what you want with my body / Do what you want with my body (With your body) / You can't stop my voice, 'cause / You don't own my life (You) / But do what you want with my body / (What I want, when I want, when I want) / Do what you want with my body."

"Do What U Want" was the second single off her 2013 album, peaking at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was instantly controversial, and yet, she performed the number with Kelly when she hosted Saturday Night Live and during the American Music Awards. For years, Gaga publicly ignored the controversy surrounding Kelly's involvement, though she replaced him with Christina Aguilera on the remixed version of the song in January 2014.
The music video with Kelly, directed by provocative photographer Terry Richardson (who himself has faced his own allegations of sexual misconduct) was filmed but never released. 

But in the summer of 2014, TMZ posted leaked footage from the set depicting sexually suggestive scenes. Initially, Gaga told fans the video's release had been delayed because she was only given a week to plan and execute it. "It is very devastating for someone like me. I devote every moment of my life to creating fantasies for you," she wrote on her site. "All my most successful videos were planned over a period of time when I was rested and my creativity was honored."

Sharing the same note via her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts Wednesday, Gaga made herself crystal clear: "I stand by anyone who has ever been the victim of sexual assault."

"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 is absolutely horrifying and indefensible. As a victim of sexual assault myself, I made both 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," the 32-year-old singer-songwriter wrote. "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."





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