He sold out stadiums, produced more than a dozen critically-acclaimed albums and worked with rock luminaries from Willie Nelson to Elton John, who dubbed him the ‘fabulous one’.
But when a New York Times expose hit newsstands in February 2019, the music came to an abrupt stop for Ryan Adams, 45, one of the most prolific singer songwriters of his generation.
In a searing #MeToo expose, the indie rock star was accused by seven women of dangling career opportunities in return for sex.
The alleged victims ranged from an underage singer to his ex-wife Mandy Moore. If they spurned his advances, the women said Adams would use his influence to stifle their ambitions and subject them to harassment and abusive texts.
‘Music was a point of control for him,’ said Moore, who split from the Grammy-nominated performer in 2016, claiming he was psychologically abusive.
Adams disputed the accuracy of the reporting and denied engaging in sexual communications with a minor. The allegations were ‘outlandish’ and false, he said, and his accusers were ‘disgruntled individuals’ who blamed him when their careers fizzled or failed to take off.
Today, Adams is sharing with DailyMail.com readers and the world his regrets over his past behavior and intent to ‘be a better man.’
After more than a year out of the spotlight, he tells DailyMail.com that he’s sober, wiser and finally ready to confront the damaging behavior that brought his stellar rock and roll career crashing down.
Ryan Adams has shared with DailyMail.com readers and the world his regrets over his past behavior more than a year after a searing #MeToo expose. The alleged victims include his ex-wife Mandy Moore, who split from the Grammy-nominated performer in 2016, claiming he was psychologically abusive
There are no words to express how bad I feel about the ways I’ve mistreated people throughout my life and career.
All I can say is that I’m sorry. It’s that simple. This period of isolation and reflection made me realize that I needed to make significant changes in my life.
I’ve gotten past the point where I would be apologizing just for the sake of being let off the hook and I know full well that any apology from me probably won’t be accepted by those I’ve hurt.
I get that and I also understand that there’s no going back.
To a lot of people this will just seem like the same empty bull***t apology that I’ve always used when I was called out, and all I can say is, this time it is different.
Having truly realized the harm that I’ve caused, it wrecked me, and I’m still reeling from the ripples of devastating effects that my actions triggered.
There is no way to convince people that this time is truly different, but this is the albatross that I deserve to carry with me as a result of my actions.
Realizing the consequences of my actions, I took a hard look inwards and sought to find the truth behind them. What pain was I carrying myself that was so poorly and wrongly being projected onto others?
I made a promise to myself that no matter what it took, I would get to the root of these issues and finally start to fix myself so I could be a better friend, a better partner, and a better man overall.
Adams has now revealed he’s sober, wiser and finally ready to confront the damaging behavior that brought his stellar rock and roll career crashing down
That being said, no amount of growth will ever take away the suffering I had caused. I will never be off the hook and I am fully accountable for my harmful behavior, and will be for my actions moving forward.
In my effort to be a better man, I have fought to get sober, but this time I’m doing it with professional help. Sobriety is a priority in my life, and so is my mental health. These, as I’m learning, go hand in hand.
But I will not bore anyone with stories of my demons or use them to excuse what I’ve done. I really want to express that I’ve internalized the importance of self-care and self-work. I’m really trying.
Music is how I lay my soul bare, and in working through this, I have written enough music to fill half a dozen albums.
Some of these songs are angry, many are sad but most of them are about the lessons I’ve learned over the last few years. Those ones an expression of my deepest remorse.
I hope that the people I’ve hurt will heal. And I hope that they will find a way to forgive me.