Datsik issues apology

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Datsik

Electronic music producer Datsik has apologized for his "poor behaviour" in a lengthy video statement as he broke his silence for the first time since sexual assault allegations about him emerged.

The Kelowna-born musician, whose real name is Troy Beetles, was accused of taking advantage of drunk women on his tour bus in a slew of allegations made on social media in March 2018. Datsik was also alleged to have had his team give passes marked "tulsa" - which spells "a slut" when read backwards - to those women who would become targets for him.

Since the allegations were first made, Datsik has remained resolutely silent, but decided to address them in a roundabout way by posting a seven-minute video on his Facebook page on Tuesday.

"I know I've been gone, but I'm back today to tell you what I've been up to over the last 18 months," he began. "Over the last 18 months I've been taking much needed time to look in the mirror and work on improving myself through introspection and therapy. I have taken the comments that were made about me very seriously.

"Back when I was originally confronted on social media, my heart was broken, and the flurry of negative comments caused my mind to spiral out of control," he continued. "At the time, I gave little consideration to what others were feeling and for that I'm sorry. As an optimistic person, this was all very hard for me to grasp at the time and I definitely was not in the right mindset to handle it all or approach it properly... I feel embarrassed and ashamed that I caused anyone any distress, for real, it was never intentional, but here we are nonetheless."

Explaining that the past year has been a "very painful learning experience" for him, Datsik added that he's done his best to "pick up the pieces, and grow as a human being."

"I apologize for my poor behaviour and the reckless lifestyle that had a detrimental effect on my relationships," he added. "It is a lifestyle that I am no longer practising and one that I have worked hard to overcome. In the end, when I lost everything I loved, I also lost my self-esteem and hit rock bottom."

At that point, Datsik decided to go and "live in a facility to work through my issues, treat my mental health, and learn how to avert some of the illness that has always plagued my family."

Concluding his video, Datsik told fans: "I would like to regain your trust, I'm a human being, and I'm continuing to learn and grow, and I believe this journey has changed me for the better. If my wish comes true, I promise to raise the bar and live up to your expectations on every level."

His post divided opinion among social media followers, with some praising him for being so honest while others wrote things such as: "just watching datsik's non-apology, in which he spares not a single word to address his victims or acknowledge anyone but himself."