The biggest music upsets of 2023

Rammstein - The biggest music upsets of 2023

Of course, the job of music stars is no longer just to compose rousing songs and bring them to the stage in spectacular shows. Whether voluntarily or not, they also have the task of providing the public with gossip about themselves. Unfortunately, this gossip is not always just about love stories and glamorous red carpet appearances, but also about the darker side of being a superstar. This year, too, some abysses opened up in this respect.

Rammstein singer Till Lindemann under constant fire

In Germany, the mega-scandal surrounding Rammstein singer Till Lindemann (60) dominated the headlines for months. It began when Irish woman Shelby Lynn (24) claimed to have woken up with bruises after an after-show party in Vilnius on May 25 and that she could not remember anything that had happened.

As a result, more and more women came forward claiming that something similar had happened to them. There were also repeated reports of an alleged groupie system in which young female fans were allegedly recruited for the singer's private backstage parties in the run-up to concerts. Throughout the course of the scandal, the singer never once commented personally on the allegations, but had them dismissed by his lawyers as "without exception untrue".

At a concert in Munich, which was accompanied by protests, he confidently made it clear that Rammstein would survive the turbulence unscathed. After the show finale, he announced: "Munich, we were very lucky with the predicted storm. Believe me, the other one will also pass."

At the end of the year, it seems clear that Lindemann was indeed right with his prophecy. The smoke surrounding the band has long since cleared in the media. On August 29, the Berlin public prosecutor's office also dropped the investigation against Lindemann due to a lack of sufficient suspicion.

Bullying allegations against body positivity icon Lizzo

By this time, Lindemann's American colleague Lizzo (35) had already taken over the production of scandalous headlines. On August 1, three dancers who had been part of her previous tour filed a lawsuit. In it, they accused the US singer and icon of the body positivity movement of bullying, sexual harassment and creating a "toxic work environment", among other things.

One of the acts of sexual harassment cited was a visit Lizzo made with team members to Amsterdam's red light district. In a strip club, one of the plaintiffs was forced to touch the breasts of a naked dancer against her declared will. In order to get her to do so, the singer started a chant until the plaintiff finally gave in.

As reported by the "Los Angeles Times", among others, Lizzo is also said to have criticized one of the dancers for gaining weight and accused her of a lack of commitment in this context. She also tormented the dance team with 12-hour non-stop rehearsals to test the "commitment" of her employees.

Commenting on the situation, the dancers' lawyer said: "The astounding way Lizzo and her management team have treated her dancers seems to contradict everything Lizzo stands for publicly, while privately shaming her dancers with her weight and humiliating them in a way that is not only illegal, but absolutely demoralizing."

The artist herself immediately dismissed the "sensationalist" claims in an Instagram post, calling them "unbelievable" and "outrageous". Her concluding statement: "With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make tough decisions, but it's never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or unappreciated as an important part of the team."

Sean "Puff Dady" Combs catches up with the past

Somewhat less surprisingly than queer icon Lizzo, gangster rapper and producer Sean Combs (54), also known by pseudonyms such as "Puff Daddy" or "P. Diddy", was the subject of a scandal involving alleged sexual abuse in November 2023. In his case, however, the allegations made against him were much more serious than in her case.

The scandal kicked off with a civil lawsuit filed by singer Cassie Ventura (37) against the powerful hip-hop mogul, with whom she was in a relationship between 2007 and 2018. In a 35-page lawsuit filed in mid-November, which was quoted by CNN and others, she accused Combs of sexual abuse, rape, intimidation and physical violence.

Her relationship had come about after the rapper had lured her into a "swanky, fast-paced and drug-fueled lifestyle and into a romantic relationship with him". Only then did he sign her to his record label "Bad Boy Records". However, the case did not go to trial. Following an intervention by the music mogul, an "out-of-court settlement" was reached between the two just a few hours after the lawsuit was filed.

Later on, however, three more women filed lawsuits against Sean Combs, all of whom accused him of sexually abusing or raping them under the influence of drugs in the early 1990s. On December 6, the day the fourth lawsuit was filed, the accused posted an angry statement on Instagram. In it he wrote: "ENOUGH is ENOUGH. Over the past few weeks I have watched in silence as people have tried to destroy my character, my reputation and my legacy. Disgusting accusations have been leveled against me by people looking for a quick payday. Let me be very clear: I have done none of the terrible things I have been accused of."

Despite his vehement protestations of innocence, the wave of lawsuits has meanwhile brought Combs his first harsh consequences. According to a report in the magazine "Variety " on December 13, the channel "Hulu" canceled an already prepared reality series about the musician's family in light of the growing scandal. He had previously resigned from his position as chairman of the hip-hop television station "Revolt".