In his statement, Lewis said fame often caused him to feel lonely and isolated – feelings he would try to quash by making connections with fans.
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“I’ve been flirty with adult women of all different ages, in-person, online, and over text,” he wrote. “I’ve done and said incredibly stupid, insensitive, and embarrassing things that I’m mortified by when looking back … I don’t fault these individuals for having hard feelings, and I don’t want anyone defending me.”
He claimed, however, that some of the social media posts about him were gross misrepresentations, some of which were allegedly shared from fabricated accounts. He said, while he was open to criticism against himself, he would not accept threats to conduct exposés on his family, who were in no way involved with recent accusations.
Lewis, who is set to begin a month-long US and Canadian tour in January, concluded the statement by saying he would look after himself for a while as he navigates the situation. “I know it’s too much to ask for grace and forgiveness at this moment, but in time I hope to re-earn the trust of those I’ve hurt, and do better by those I’ve disappointed.”
The Sydney artist first entered the spotlight in 2017 when his song Waves was used on global smash-hit shows such as Suits and Riverdale. Since then Lewis has won three ARIA Awards, including best male artist, and has worked with overseas musicians like the Jonas Brothers.
His most recent album The Epilogue (2024) hit No.2 on the ARIA charts. Lewis has been touring the world since the end of last year, including Australia and Europe.
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