A teenage African-Singaporean singer has come forward with allegations that her former manager exploited her youth and pressured her into a sexual relationship.
So far there has been no public response from the man subsequently identified as Adam Choong after 17-year-old singer Melanie Kasise, aka Keyana, took to her socials Friday to accuse him, 11 years her senior, of making sexual advances beginning when she was 16.
“[T]his has been weighing on my chest for a long time and [I] feel that it’s the right time to speak out. [I] was sexually and emotionally groomed and manipulated by my former manager from when [I] was 15 years old,” Kasise, now 17, wrote in a Twitter thread.
hi. this has been weighing on my chest for a long time and i feel that it’s the right time to speak out. i was sexually and emotionally groomed and manipulated by my former manager from when i was 15 years old. he was 26. 11 years older than me.
— KEYANA (@heykeyana) November 20, 2020
The legal age of consent is 16. Messages sent to Choong via social media were not responded to as of 5pm. Kasise also did not reply to messages seeking comment.
Choong’s lawyers at the firm Gloria James-Civetta & Co. however told Coconuts after this article was published that they were looking into the allegations and had no further comment at this time.
“We are looking into the allegations made against our client and we have advised our client not to make any comments at this stage,” they said.
Kasise wrote that she was looking to advance her music career when she agreed to let Adam, who she’d met at prior events, become her manager. He later began frequently discussing sex and making physical advances. Though she does not specify when, she said that she eventually gave in to his advances before later ending the sexual part of their relationship.
“[A]fter a long time, [I] was damaged. in so many ways, but emotionally especially,” she wrote.
as he got more comfortable talking about sex with me, he started to make physical advances. in my naivety at the time, i caved in – he normalised something that was so wrong, and i was stuck in his reality. i felt like i needed him to ‘make it’.
— KEYANA (@heykeyana) November 20, 2020
She said that he continued to ask for nude photos and was controlling her finances and appearance. She said that he controlled her money and what she could wear based on “what looked sexier to him,” as well as where she went.
She attached a screenshot she said came from a December text conversation in which he allegedly called her “amazing pussy.”
She said her single track Scorpio was about Adam, who she said tried to “force” her into naming it differently. Kasise made her debut as a singer earlier this year.
After persuasion from her followers, she disclosed an Instagram handle she said belonged to Adam, saying that while she didn’t want to “ruin his life,” she wanted “accountability” instead of silence.
Rapper Kevin Lester, aka The Lion City Boy, said yesterday that he removed Choong, whom he identified as a personal friend, from upcoming shows where he was scheduled to appear.
“In light of recent events over the weekend, Adam will no longer be part of my live show set up. I do not condone any of his actions and believe that he should be held accountable for what he has done,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“He is a friend that I cherish but under no circumstances are his actions acceptable. I will be there for him as he faces the consequences and makes an effort to get the necessary help to do better,” he added.
Update: This article has been updated with statements from Adam’s lawyers and his associate Kevin Lester.
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