In a new interview with Laura Snapes for The Guardian, art-pop artist Fiona Apple called out the Grammy’s for their nomination of Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, an alleged sexual predator. Dr. Luke (under the pseudonym Tyson Trax) produced Doja Cat’s “Say So,” a nominee for Record of the Year.
In October 2014, pop artist Kesha sued Dr. Luke for sexual assault and battery. In 2017, she released “Praying,” a song ostensibly about the abuse. The Grammys let her perform the song at the 2018 awards to show support for sexual assault victims. For Apple, the Grammy’s duplicity – facially recognizing the credibility of sexual assault victims without condemning accused individuals – was hypocritical. “I keep going back to them putting Kesha on stage like, 'we believe you'—and I believe her—then two years later, fucking Tyson Trax” she said.
In the interview, Apple also discusses the ouster of Deborah Dugan. Dugan, former President and CEO of the Recording Academy, was placed on administrative leave six months after accepting the post as a reformer to add diversity and fairness. She since lodged a complaint Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that she faced sexual and verbal harassment. The firing “reeked” according to Apple. “I want to hear what Deborah Duggan has to say,” she said. “When you hire somebody and they raise questions and they get fired?”
You can read Apple’s full interview for The Guardian here.
