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Demi Lovato deflects from Swift feud with abuse conversation

Written by . Published: February 23 2016

Demi Lovato is eager to turn her supposed feud with Taylor Swift into a positive conversation about supporting victims of abuse amid Kesha's ongoing legal battle with Dr. Luke.


The Tik Tok star lost her bid to get out of her Sony contract last week (end19Feb16), after claiming label bosses have stalled her career by refusing to allow her to work with any producer but hitmaker Dr. Luke, who she has accused of drugging and sexually and emotionally abusing her.


After the judge ruled she must abide by the terms of her six-album deal, Kesha received an outpouring of support from fans and celebrities alike, including Swift, who donated $250,000 to Kesha to help with her financial needs.


However, Swift's contribution was met with apparent criticism by Lovato, who made a thinly veiled reference to the Style singer on Twitter.com.


In a lengthy post on Monday (22Feb16), Lovato wrote: "Take something to Capitol Hill or actually speak out about something and then I'll be impressed... At least I’m talking about it. Not everyone has 250k to just give to people."


The Skyscraper singer later took to Instagram to clarify her comments and push the focus back on Kesha and other victims of abuse.


"As most people know, I tend to get fired up about the things I believe in," Lovato wrote. "And although my heart and intentions are always in the right place, unfortunately sometimes my passion gets the best of me and causes me to say things that I probably shouldn't say. And when doing so it takes away from the real reason I am speaking up in the first place.


"Our focus should be on the topic of victims of sexual and physical abuse being afraid to come forward with their stories. They're more likely to face retaliation and harassment than to see justice being served. Especially women. It baffles me that when it comes to serious issues like equality and abuse, too often women are not taken as seriously as men. All I want to see is women coming together and actually making a difference. A real change and shift in society."


"Everyone has their own way of giving support to others , and at the end of the day, helping victims is all that matters," she concluded. "Ultimately, the message I want people to hear is it's okay to come forward with your abuse and if you do decide to take action, you are not alone."


Also on Monday, Dr. Luke posted his own statement on Twitter, denying Kesha's sexual abuse allegations.


"I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her," he wrote. "Kesha and I were friends for many years and she was like my little sister."

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