Emarosa: Bradley Walden äußert sich erstmals zu den Missbrauchsvorwürfen

Ende Juni wurden Missbrauchsvorwürfe gegen Emarosa-Frontmann Bradley Walden laut. Über Twitter häuften sich Anschuldigungen gegen den Sänger, in Folge dessen die Band wohl sowohl vom Plattenlabel als auch vom Management fallen gelassen wurde.

Nun meldet sich Walden selbst erstmals zu den Vorwürfen zu Wort. In einem ausführlichen Statement entschuldigt er sich für sein Verhalten, das er vor einigen Jahren an den Tag gelegt habe. Er habe sich vielen Menschen gegenüber nicht korrekt verhalten, auch abseits der Vorwürfe, die gegen ihn erhoben wurden.

„I’d like to start this message getting straight to the point: with an apology. I have not always been the best person. I’ve had times where I’ve been selfish and my own goals took priorty over those I care about most. To be blunt, I’ve been an asshole — to acquaintances, to friends, to business partners and to lovers. So, before this letter goes further, I want to say that I am very sorry to those who feel I’ve wronged them. Your feelings are not only justified, your opinions of me are probably spot on. I’m sorry.“

Emarosa-Frontmann Bradley Walden äußert sich zu Missbrauchsvorwürfen gegen ihn

Im weiteren Verlauf gibt er zu, vor einigen Jahren seine Verlobte hintergangen und sie belogen zu haben. Er habe eine weitere Beziehung geführt, die sich allem Anschein nach jedoch hauptsächlich im Netz abgespielt habe.

Er habe die Beziehung nach einer Weile beendet und seitdem würde besagte Person ihm immer wieder das Leben über anonyme Social Media-Accounts schwer machen.

„Many years ago, during a trying time in my life that involved profound loss, I was emotionally unfaithful to my fiance. It is, has been, and will always be my biggest regret. If you follow our music, you probably know this story, but not the underlying detail of this dark period in my life. I had a relationship with a woman that was strictly based on texting and social media communications. I should have never allowed communications with this individual to escalate to a place like it did. It was a mistake that hurt both my fiance and this woman, which I take full responsibility for. Selfishly, I tried to keep this a secret from my fiance. I took advantage of both her love and the trust she placed in my, actions which I was held accountable for a very long time ago. A few months ago, this woman created another anonymous Twitter account to renew her claims that I am a ‚pedophile‘ and that I ‚groomed‘ her. Due to the delicate nature of the allegation, I was advised by counsel not to make a statement until I was able to go through the proper channels and process this information. There is no playbook here, but everyone on our team takes this situation extremely seriously.“

Walden weist die Anschuldigung der Pädophilie, die diese Person gegen ihn erhob, von sich. Er verstehe, dass er sie schwer verletzt und genau das bleibende Schäden hinterlassen habe. Es tue ihm leid, doch die Vorwürfe als solche seien schlichtweg falsch.

„I have made many mistakes in my life, but the accusations leveled by this woman are just patently false: I am not a ‚pedophile‘, nor did I ‚groom‘ this woman in any manner whatsoever. I ended communications with this individual many years ago, which was followed by 5 years of her making anonymous social media accounts to attack my character and reach out to various individuals in my life, personally and professionally. I do not for a second discount the fact that this person is hurting. If she feels I played a role in her pain, I accept that and want her to know that I am sincerely sorry. I have no doubt that this woman’s pain is real because, like most people in my life, she certainly was not immune to my tendency of being a selfish asshole. However, being a selfish asshole is a long way from being a ‚pedophile‘ or a ‚groomer‘. Accusations being levied by this woman are extremely serious and should be directed toward the proper authorities and investigated thoroughly, not callously thrown around on Twitter.“

Mit Rechtsbeistand will der Sänger nun gegen die falschen Anschuldigungen und die Verleumdung vorgehen. Er weist eindringlich darauf hin, sich als Opfer an die Behörden zu wenden, statt im Internet über ein anonymes Profil Anschuldigungen zu erheben.

Er verurteile jede Form von Missbrauch und will Opfern zukünftig mehr helfen.

„My Arizona legal counsel has been fully engaged since the accusations were made and I will continue to work through them to pursue all legal remedies. Next week our team will begin taking action against this woman for the unlawful and defamatory attacks she has publicly levied against me. We are united in our goal to not only hold this specific woman accountable for her actions, but also to protect the many victims to sexual misconduct, especially pedophilia, whose important voices are diluted and real-life nightmares are trivialized every time knowingly fictitious stories like this are sent to social media instead of the proper authorities. If you think you are a victim, call the authorities. It is the best way to protect yourself, others and hold predators accountable.“

Das Statement des Sängers in Gänze findet ihr bei den Kollegen von Lambgoat über diesen Verweis.

Bradley Walden ist seit 2013 bei Emarosa tätig. Er ersetzte den 2011 ausgestiegenen Jonny Craig, der zuletzt bis 2019 bei Slaves als Sänger tätig war.

Foto: Bobby Bruderle / Offizielles Pressebild