Dean Lewis has ‘parted ways’ with his record label, three months after being accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by multiple women.
Universal Music Group this week confirmed that the Australian singer-songwriter is no longer on their roster.
‘We can confirm that Dean Lewis is no longer signed to Universal Music Australia or any Universal Music Group label,’ a Universal Music Australia (UMA) spokesperson told the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday.
Lewis is ‘excited’ to release new music this year as an independent artist, the singer’s management told Rolling Stone Australia.
No reason for the 38-year-old’s departure from Universal has been provided, but it comes after the hitmaker was embroiled in misconduct allegations and saw his ARIA and TikTok award nominations withdrawn in November.
Management for the singer advised ARIA that he was ‘withdrawing’ his nomination for the Song of the Year award for his tune With You, according to the Herald Sun.
Dean Lewis (pictured) has ‘parted ways’ with his record label, three months after being accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by multiple women
The decision to back out of the Aussie music world’s Night of Nights comes as the Be Alright hitmaker also removed himself from the TikTok Awards.
Lewis was nominated for Music Artist of the Year at the awards, scheduled for Sydney on 26 November.
The performer, who has been subject to a backlash from fans after several women went public to claim he made them uncomfortable with his advances, has yet to comment on his decision to step away from the award shows.
But a spokesperson for the singer explained he is taking time out after being slammed online.
‘To present Dean with a genuine opportunity to step back and focus on his wellbeing, TikTok has agreed to remove Dean from nomination for their annual awards at our request. We appreciate their consideration,’ the statement said.
Lewis’ former label issued a statement amid the allegations at the time.
‘We are aware of reports online regarding the behaviour of Dean Lewis, an artist signed to one of our domestic labels,’ Universal Music Australia CEO Sean Warner said.
He continued: ‘We take these matters very seriously and are currently reviewing the situation.
Universal Music Group this week confirmed that the Australian singer-songwriter is no longer on their roster
‘As this is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.’
Lewis broke silence in October, after being accused of ‘inappropriate behaviour’ by multiple women.
The Waves hitmaker shared a statement on Instagram, giving his side of the story after several women went public to claim he made them uncomfortable with his advances.
‘I want to share some thoughts on the recent posts about me on social media. I understand why people are angry and disappointed after learning embarrassing details of intimate private conversations,’ Dean began.
‘About relationships I’ve had with consenting adults over the past decade, I want to emphasise none of this is illegal.
‘The individuals leading the campaign against me have repeatedly acknowledged this, and I’m hurt by any suggestion that I’ve done things that have crossed into illegality.’
One of Dean’s accusers – a 28-year-old woman named Elaina – recently shared an eight-minute video on TikTok, in which she recounted her experience with the singer, who she first met in 2019 when she worked in the entertainment industry.
‘He messaged me asking if I was going to be at his show, if I was going to ‘look all hot and beautiful for him’. Thought that was interesting at the time,’ Elaina, who says she was 23 years old at the time, began.
No reason for the 38-year-old’s departure from Universal has been provided, but it comes after the hitmaker was embroiled in misconduct allegations and saw his ARIA and TikTok award nominations withdrawn in November
‘I knew there would be some sort of sexual nature to us hanging out but the nature of it made me really uncomfortable,’ she continued.
‘It went from zero to 100. I was kind of taken aback.
‘As we were kissing, I quickly realised I wasn’t feeling comfortable, there was no effort to make me comfortable.’
Elaina went on: ‘He was trying to say anything he could say to get me to say yes. I remember him saying, ‘We are two friends who are attracted to each other and want to have fun.’
‘Another thing that crawls up my spine, is he looked at me and asked, ‘Do you want to make me happy?”
Meanwhile, another fan shared a clip in which she played a recording of a phone conversation she alleges to have had with Dean, where he was heard saying, ‘You wore that white dress, what the f***. Baby I love looking at you.’
A third fan, who has declined to reveal her real name and has been identified as ‘Eliza’, says she met Lewis when she was 19 after she was approached by his team at a concert and invited backstage.
After the meeting, Eliza told The Daily Telegraph that she felt ‘love bombed’ by the pop star, who she says called himself ‘daddy’ in their online exchanges.
One of Dean’s accusers – a 28-year-old woman named Elaina (pictured) – recently shared an eight-minute video on TikTok in which she recounted her experience with the singer, who she first met in 2019
‘Like it was like all this like crazy texting and love bombing back then,’ she told the publication.
‘In my delusional world I thought like I’m the one.’
In his statement, Dean also admitted he had flirted with adult women many times but stressed he never wanted to make them feel uncomfortable.
‘I’ve been flirty with adult women of all different ages, in-person, online and over text. Occasionally, that flirting leads to consensual intimate encounters that I thought were private,’ he said.
‘From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely apologise to those I’ve hurt. I also need to apologise to my family and fans who I’ve gravely disappointed.’
Dean finished by saying he would be taking steps to ensure this behaviour was never repeated.
‘I am enrolling myself in intense therapy to make better choices and dramatically shift my approach to dating and relationships,’ he said.
‘In time I hope to re-earn the trust of those I’ve hurt.’
It is not suggested that any of the behaviour Dean allegedly engaged in was illegal.
The singer shot to fame in 2016 with his hit Waves.
He went on to find further success with 2019’s Be Alright, which reached number one on the ARIA charts and sat at the top for two weeks.
