Maggie Rogers Condemns Sexual Harassment After Catcalling Incident During Her Concert
During the penultimate concert of her North American tour, Maggie Rogers found herself subjected to inappropriate behavior from a few men in attendance.
On Saturday night, the singer-songwriter, 25, was performing an acoustic rendition of her breakout hit, “Alaska” at ACL Live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, when two men in the crowd began catcalling her. Rogers decided to condemn the sexist behavior in a statement on Twitter the next day.
“every night before the Alaska acoustic encore, I speak about gratitude and growth and change,” she wrote. “it’s the most vulnerable part of the set. just me and a guitar before i say goodnight.”
“last night, in the middle of this speech a man yelled ‘take your top off.’ another joined in and yelled ‘you cute though,'” Rogers continued. “i was stunned. furious. fuming, confused. and also – on a really basic level – it really hurt my feelings.”
RELATED: Cardi B Opens Up About Being Sexually Assaulted on a Magazine Shoot: ‘I Was So Mad’
“take your top off” pic.twitter.com/pqTmWlYIQ6
— Maggie Rogers (@maggierogers) October 20, 2019
The musician went on to explain how degrading those comments were to the work and effort she puts into her music and the show — and into making her concert a safe space for herself and for her fans.
“i step on stage every night and give every part of me,” she wrote. “and my community shows up every night and together, we create a safe space to amplify each other. to allow relief. to allow release. there’s a deep amount of trust there.”
“i step on stage every night with a deep reverence for the stage, my craft, and the privilege that is making music for my job,” she added. “i’ve been writing and producing music for 10 years – my body is my greatest tool for communicating that work.”
With that said, she reminded her followers that instances of sexual harassment and disrespect would not be tolerated at any of her shows.
“I want to use this moment to be very very clear. there is no space for harassment or disrespect or degradation of any kind at my show,” she concluded her statement. “be kind to each other out there.”
RELATED VIDEO: Mandy Moore and 6 Other Women Accuse Musician Ryan Adams of Harassment and Emotional Abuse
Fans and fellow musicians rallied behind the artist, sending her well wishes and support over social media, and apologizing for the unfortunate experience.
“So, so sorry this happened to you, Maggie,” one fan wrote. “Please know how much we all value and appreciate the magic you create each night on stage, and how powerful your willingness to be vulnerable is to so many. Sending you love.”
Maren Morris commented, “Thanks for posting this. I don’t think people realize artists hear and see that s— and we aren’t made of stone.”
The singer, who first garnered fame in 2016 after she played “Alaska” for producer Pharrell Williams at an NYU undergraduate seminar, is next scheduled to perform in Nashville.
Rogers, along with Yola, will be opening for Kacey Musgraves‘ Oh What a World: Tour II at the Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 25.
