The singer R. Kelly has suggested the parents of the two young women he is accused of holding against their will “sold” them to him when they were teenagers in a volatile interview. In his first interview since being charged last month with sexually abusing four people, including three underage girls, the R&B; star hit back at the claims of sexual misconduct that have dogged him for years. “Whether they’re old rumors, new rumors, future rumors, not true,” he told CBS’s “This Morning” programme. “I’m a man. I make mistakes. But I’m not a devil and by no means am I a monster.” None of the current charges against the 52-year-old singer relate to the women he currently lives with, Azriel Clary, 21, and Joycelyn Savage, 23, who Kelly described as his “girlfriends”. Azriel was 17 when he pulled her onto the stage with him and Joycelyn was 19 and met him backstage at a different show with her mother. Neither has spoken to their parents for years. Asked what kept the young women away from their families, Kelly responded: “I’m going to answer your question – what kind of father, what kind of mother would sell their daughter to a man?”‘ “Why would you take your daughter – if I were going to take my daughter and she’s 19 years old to a 49-year-old icon whatever, celebrity, R. Kelly concert, whoever it is, I’m not going to put her on the stage and leave her.” Discussing the age gap between himself and the women, he said: “I don’t look at much younger than me, I just look at legal.” Azriel’s parents hit out at the remarks through their lawyer, Michael Avenatti, saying: “We have never received a penny from R. Kelly. We have never asked R. Kelly for money. And we never ‘sold’ our daughter to him or anyone else. R. Kelly is a desperate liar and serial abuser of young girls who should die in prison. All of the victims and parents cannot be lying.” Joycelyn’s parents have consistently said they believe their daughter has been brainwashed. Kelly pleaded not guilty late last month in Chicago to 10 counts of aggravated criminal sex abuse. He spent three nights behind bars and was released after coming up with $100,000 in bail. His upcoming trial involves four women, three of whom were under 17 years old when he allegedly abused between 1998 and 2010. If convicted, he faces several decades in prison. The singer, whose legal name is Robert Kelly, is one of the top-selling recording artists of all time. He has won multiple Grammys, including for his hit-song, “I Believe I Can Fly”. Despite the slew of disturbing claims against him, the award-winning musician continued to perform for years and maintained a solid fan base. Kelly has consistently denied the allegations. In Wednesday’s lengthy interview, during which he yelled, cried and at one point had to be restrained, the singer also addressed news reports in 2017 he had kept women as virtual sex slaves at homes he owns in Chicago and Atlanta. Below please find a further statement from my clients Alice and Angelo Clary in response to the R. Kelly interview. pic.twitter.com/eg9R7dt0l1— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) March 6, 2019 Asked if he had ever held women against their will, he said: “I don’t need to. Why would I? … How stupid would I be to do that? That’s stupid. Use your common sense. How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I’ve been to.” He broke down in tears as he hit his hands together and said: “I didn’t do this stuff. I’m fighting for my f—ing life”. In 2008 a jury acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges. Those charges stemmed from a video prosecutors alleged showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13. “For one, I beat my case. When you beat something you beat it. You can’t double jeopardy me like that. It’s not fair,” Kelly also said during Wednesday’s interview.
