Doja Cat took to Instagram on Sunday to address accusations of racism.
The 24-year-old artist came under fire this weekend after a 2015 song containing a racist slur resurfaced online. The singer was also accused of taking part in racist online chats in the past. Soon, the hashtag #DojaCatIsOverParty started trending on Twitter.
Doja Cat then addressed the allegations in a statement posted to Instagram.
“I want to address what’s been happening on Twitter,” she began. “I’ve used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child. I shouldn’t have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I’m sorry to everyone that I offended. I am a black woman. Half of my family is black from South Africa and I’m very proud of where I come from.”
As for the resurfaced track, Doja Cat claimed “it was in no way tied to anything outside of my own personal experience.”
“It was written in response to people who often used that term to hurt me,” she continued. “I made an attempt to flip its meaning, but recognize that it was a bad decision to use that term in my music.”
Near the end of her post, Doja Cat assured her fans she understood her “influence and impact” and insisted that she’s “taking this all very seriously.”
“I love you all and I’m sorry for upsetting or hurting any of you,” the “Say So” celeb continued. “That’s not my character, and I’m determined to show that everybody moving forward. Thank you.”
