Ryan Adams issued an apology a year after several women came forward with abuse allegations against him.
The musician was the subject of scrutiny in February 2019 when seven women, including his ex-wife, Mandy Moore, accused him of exhibiting manipulative, controlling and abusive behavior. At the time, he denied the allegations. However, after reflecting for a year and getting sober, the 45-year-old singer penned a lengthy essay to The Daily Mail in which he sought forgiveness for his past behavior.
“There are no words to express how bad I feel about the ways I've mistreated people throughout my life and career,” he began. “All I can say is that I'm sorry. It's that simple. This period of isolation and reflection made me realize that I needed to make significant changes in my life.”
RYAN ADAMS BREAKS SILENCE AFTER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS, SUGGESTS MUSICAL COMEBACK
He explained that he understands that his apology will likely not be accepted by the people he hurt, nor will it let him “off the hook.” However, he made sure to note that things are different this time.
“To a lot of people this will just seem like the same empty bull***t apology that I've always used when I was called out, and all I can say is, this time it is different. Having truly realized the harm that I've caused, it wrecked me, and I'm still reeling from the ripples of devastating effects that my actions triggered,” Adams wrote. “There is no way to convince people that this time is truly different, but this is the albatross that I deserve to carry with me as a result of my actions.”
He continued: “Realizing the consequences of my actions, I took a hard look inwards and sought to find the truth behind them. What pain was I carrying myself that was so poorly and wrongly being projected onto others? I made a promise to myself that no matter what it took, I would get to the root of these issues and finally start to fix myself so I could be a better friend, a better partner, and a better man overall.”
Adams again noted that there’s no apology he can give that will undo any of “the suffering I had caused.” However, he explained that he plans to move forward in life “fully accountable.”
He also revealed that seeking professional help to get sober gave him some much-needed perspective on the issue.
“In my effort to be a better man, I have fought to get sober, but this time I'm doing it with professional help. Sobriety is a priority in my life, and so is my mental health. These, as I'm learning, go hand in hand,” he wrote. “But I will not bore anyone with stories of my demons or use them to excuse what I've done. I really want to express that I've internalized the importance of self-care and self-work. I'm really trying.”
He concluded his apology statement by noting that he plans to heal through music, alleging that he has written “enough music to fill half a dozen albums” while working through both his sobriety and his past actions.
“I hope that the people I've hurt will heal,” he finished. “And I hope that they will find a way to forgive me.”
The seven-time Grammy nominee was accused by his ex of becoming emotionally abusive shortly after they met in 2007.
Moore told The New York Times she and Adams — to whom she was married for almost six years — wrote songs together that he'd promise to record, but they never did.
“He would always tell me, ‘You’re not a real musician, because you don’t play an instrument,'" she said. “His controlling behavior essentially did block my ability to make new connections in the industry during a very pivotal and potentially lucrative time — my entire mid- to late 20s.”
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After the article was published in 2019, Adams tweeted he's not "perfect" and apologized to those he's hurt "deeply and unreservedly." He said the article paints an "upsettingly inaccurate" picture and that details are "misrepresented; some are exaggerated; some are outright false."