Aussie global pop star Dean Lewis has apologized for the “incredible mess” and hurt he’s caused after several women went viral on TikTok with allegations of inappropriate behavior.
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Lewis said he would undergo “intense therapy” to “dramatically shift my approach to dating, relationships and showing greater care to the women in my life.”
Lewis started trending on TikTok earlier this week when several female fans posted videos sharing intimate phone recordings and sexts with the 38-year-old singer-songwriter claiming they had been hurt or felt uncomfortable by his behavior.
One American fan, Elaina, said in an eight-minute video sharing her interactions with the Be Alright superstar that she had told him she did not want to have a sexual relationship with him when he invited her to join him after a show.
“I knew that there would be some sort of sexual nature to us hanging out, but the nature in which everything happened made me really uncomfortable,” she said.
“The thing that, like, really crawls up my spine is that he looked me in the eye and asked me, Do you want to make me happy?”
Lewis, who is not accused of any criminal behavior, and emphasized in his statement that all of his relationships had been with consenting adults and disputed “fabricated accounts” in some videos he had acted inappropriately in his interactions with younger fans.
“I understand why people are angry and disappointed after learning embarrassing details of intimate, private conversations and relationships I’ve had with consenting adults over the past decade, but I want to emphasize that none of this is illegal,” he said in his statement.
“The individuals leading the campaign against me have repeatedly acknowledged this, and I’m hurt by any suggestion that I’ve done things that have crossed into illegality.
“At the same time, I realize I’ve made an incredible mess, people are genuinely hurt, and I need to make changes.”
Lewis shared how the “loneliness and isolation” of being on the road had led him to seek “connection” with fans and his “dumb flirty texts” sometimes led to “consensual intimate encounters or relationships that I thought were private.”
“In the past few days, social media has made public a decade-plus of private conversations with a number of women, all of adult age,” he wrote.
“I don’t fault these individuals for having hard feelings, and I don’t want anyone defending me. I was breathtakingly dumb texting and flirting in the manner I have over many years.
“I should have been more sensitive that not everyone might look at our interactions the way I often did.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely apologize to those I’ve hurt. This is not only an apology to the women who have spoken up, but those who haven’t and felt hurt by my words or behavior. I also need to apologize to my family and fans who I’ve gravely disappointed.”
Lewis alleged in his statement that the social media uproar over the videos had “gotten out of hand” and that likes and thank yous on tagged fan posts or DMs had been taken out of context “in the worst possible light.”
The ARIA award-winning songwriter, who is signed to Universal Music, hit out at threats to “conduct exposés” on his family.
Besides entering therapy, Lewis said he would also implement a “new set of rules” around his romantic relationships “so there’s never confusion or questions about my intent when I’m engaging with fans or responding to messages in the future.”
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