Two days ago, Shambhala At Home removed Billy Kenny from their lineup after new accusations of sexual assault and inappropriate activity with fans and venue staff. Yesterday, he released a statement addressing the accusations.
“For clarity, it is alleged that on June 23rd, 2017 at a show in Edmonton, I played a trick on a woman who was on stage during my performance, where I pretended to drop my USB stick and then grabbed her behind inappropriately,” he wrote. “My behaviour during that time period three years ago was unacceptable and inconsistent with who I am today. I am firmly against any type of domestic abuse, sexual abuse or violence and I can’t imagine acting in the ways I have been accused of.”
Many did not find solace in his statement, as there was no apology for his actions. Many were also disappointed with Shambhala for not removing him from lineups sooner, as they’d allegedly been made known about his actions for years prior.
— Billy Kenny (@BillyKennyMusic) July 14, 2020
Still, even after his statement, another artist, BB Mars, came forward to share her own story of Billy Kenny raping her.
CW: full story below
itβs been a rough day for a lot of people and unfortunately @BillyKennyMusicβs apology made it worse for those already seeing what was coming forward but also have delt with it. MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING. THIS IS RAPE.
Billy you owe BB MARS more than an apology – LEAVE pic.twitter.com/WpNP7EvYq8
— π¬ππππ¨ βΎ #BLM (@veronicaweibs) July 15, 2020
This morning, Dirtybird made a statement that they will no longer be working with Billy Kenny.
We have heard the statements made against Billy Kenny. As a label and community, DIRTYBIRD takes these extremely seriously and we do not condone anything relating to assault in any form, be it physical, verbal, or sexual abuse. Dirtybird will no longer be working with Billy.
— Dirtybird (@Dirtybird) July 15, 2020
