At the beginning of October, pop singer Aleks Syntek made headlines across Latin America after a 17-year-old British teenager publicly accused him of making unwelcome sexual advances. A Manchester resident with the username Lemon Brick said Syntek inappropriately called him “sexy” and “cute” during a conversation on Instagram DM.
Syntek had declined to comment publicly or give any interviews after the news went viral, but on October 5, he broke his silence. In an interview with Mexican radio host Jessie Cervantes, he responded to the allegations for the first time. Syntek claims the accusations are completely false. “First of all, this Instagram user made some accusations that are completely false and that’s the most important thing that I want everyone to know…I made two mistakes in this case…One was using a few words in English – I mean, I speak English well, but they were two words that could be misinterpreted in this case,” he explained, alluding to his use of the words “cute” and “sexy” to refer to the 17-year-old. “And then continuing a conversation with someone I don’t know – with a guy who’s totally unknown to me,” he elaborated. Syntek went on to thank his fans for their support, and confirm that his upcoming performances have not been canceled as a result of the controversy.
Syntek says he waited to respond to the allegations until he realized it was a major news story. “I definitely want my fans to stay calm and know that this is a false accusation…I got angry with myself because I realized I was a bit careless with social media. Way too trusting. Here’s the moral of the story…you have to be careful with social networks. Yes they’re a tool that can help us a lot – as we saw in the earthquake, for example, or in emergency situations – but it can also be dangerous.”
Watch the full interview below. Lemon Brick has not responded to request for comment, but Remezcla will update this post if more information becomes available.