Four people told the American media pitchfork having been victims of sexual misconduct by the frontman of the Montreal band Arcade Fire, Win Butler.
Posted yesterday at 9:47 p.m.
A first person, who describes herself as non-binary, claims to have been sexually assaulted twice in 2015 by Win Butler, when she was 21 and he was 34.
Three women have also accused the singer of inappropriate behavior towards them, when they were between 18 and 23 years old at the time of their interactions with Mr. Butler between 2016 and 2020. According to them, these interactions would have been inappropriate in view of the age difference, power dynamics and the context in which they occurred.
All the testimonies having been published on condition of anonymity in the investigation published on Saturday by pitchforka benchmark media in the music industry, The Press could not verify these allegations.
In a lengthy statement that accompanied the article, Mr Butler vehemently denied having had non-consensual sex. “I’ve never touched a woman against her will, and any insinuation to that effect is simply untrue,” he said.
A non-binary person, nicknamed Lily, alleges that she met the musician at a concert in Montreal in January 2015, during which the singer gave her his cell number.
After several exchanges by text messaging – and during which Lily would have established that she was not looking for a relationship of a sexual nature with Mr. Butler – the two would have met in a bar.
At the end of the evening, while he was driving Lily home, the singer allegedly slipped his hand down her pants – which Win Butler denies, who claims he hit “the inside of her thigh” instead.
Two days after the incident, Mr. Butler reportedly showed up at the door of Lily’s apartment, who claims to have repeatedly refused by text message that he do so.
“I opened my door and I was slammed against the wall. He aggressively grabbed my body and shoved his tongue down my throat,” Lily testified, who then allegedly asked him to leave repeatedly.
Eventually he pulled me onto his lap on my couch. I don’t know if he was holding me by the waist or what, but I was physically restrained by him, as he put his hand down my pants.
Lily
This is when the singer is said to have finally left, after repeated requests from Lily.
To pitchfork, the Arcade Fire co-founder described a different interaction: “I never forced him, and when his mood changed, I stopped, checked, and left with no drama or issue. I would never assault anyone and I did not assault [Lily] “, he defended himself.
Explicit photos
A woman, who was 18 at the time of the alleged interactions, accuses Mr Butler of sending her explicit texts and photos of her genitals without her consent in 2016.
“Win Butler asked me for nude photos and tried to sext me. And I told him that I was really uncomfortable with that, had written the young woman to a friend. I don’t really know what to do now. He keeps texting me. Again and again. »
In his version, the singer would have declined an invitation from the young woman to have sex, but he admitted to having misinterpreted certain signals sent by her.
“I was drunk when I texted her and misinterpreted her not responding as she just wasn’t getting my texts,” he said.
In 2017 and 2018, two fans of the group interviewed by pitchfork would have been victims of similar behavior: the singer replied to their messages on Instagram before asking them for photos and videos of a sexual nature.
Mr. Butler admitted to exchanging sexual messages with the two women, but he strongly denied that their interactions were not consensual.
“I had consensual relationships outside of my marriage [avec Régine Chassagne, aussi membre d’Arcade Fire]. There’s no easy way to say it, and the hardest thing I had to do was have to tell my son about it. The majority of those relationships have been short-lived, and my wife knows that — our marriage has, in the past, been more unconventional than others,” Win Butler said.
“I say this to all of you, my friends, my family, to everyone I’ve hurt, and to people who love my music and are shocked and disappointed by this article: I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused – I’m sorry for not being more aware and more mindful of the effect I have on people – I screwed up, and while it’s not a sorry, I will continue to look forward and heal what can be healed, and learn from past experiences. I can do better and I will do better. »
The Press tried to reach Sony Music, which represents Arcade Fire, on Saturday evening, without success.