A Pitchfork investigation found four people, aged between 18 and 23 at the time, who allege the Grammy-winning frontman acted inappropriately. The three women and one gender-nonconforming person accuse the singer of taking advantage of his fame and fandom, including sending unwanted sexual messages, during incidents that occurred between 2015 and 2020, when Butler was between 34 and 39 years old. Butler denies the allegations and says the relationships were consensual, adding: “It is deeply revisionist and frankly wrong to suggest otherwise.” In a statement, Butler – who is married to bandmate Régine Chassagne – said he was “very sorry for anyone I hurt with my behaviour”. One of Butler’s accusers, a gender-fluid person who uses their/them pronouns and goes by the nickname Lily, said they believed Butler had sexually assaulted them. The three women said their relationships with the singer were inappropriate because of the age difference and unbalanced power dynamic. Lily said they met Butler at another band’s concert in Montreal in early 2015 and claimed he grabbed their crotch in a car and in a later encounter pinned them against a wall before “pushing his tongue down my throat”. Butler said he had touched the person’s thigh in the car and that the second interaction was “definitely mutual.” A woman who goes by the name Stella said she started texting Butler in 2016, when she was 18, and met him for a drink. He said the singer later began “repeatedly sending her explicit texts without her consent or reciprocation” and told him they were not wanted. The singer acknowledged the sexting but said he didn’t realize the messages were unwanted. She said she didn’t recognize the significance of the age gap at the time, but now she could see “how overwhelming it could be”. Another woman, nicknamed Fiona, said she received sexts and video calls from Butler after they messaged on Instagram after an Arcade Fire concert in Montreal in 2017 when she was 20. Personal sexual encounters followed, he said. Butler said the relationship was consensual. Fiona said the meetings affected her mental health and after one meeting she tried to kill herself because of “the toll of having to keep everything hidden, constantly putting my needs aside to appease him, the lack of boundaries and the guilt of you are the other woman.” Butler said Fiona had made contact after a year off and wanted to have sex again, which she refused. She said he later texted her that the experience was mentally difficult for her, but in a conversation he said her depression had nothing to do with him. In response, Fiona said of her depression: “She absolutely related to him.” Another woman, using the pseudonym Sarah, said she was 23 in 2018 when she connected with Butler after sending him a message on Instagram about her love for his music. She said she began asking for more and more explicit sex videos, which made her “nervous and so embarrassed” and that she felt he had used her as an “easy way to have phone sex”, adding: “I did everything because it was him. .” Butler said he had sex and talked to Sarah but felt “increasingly uncomfortable” because she went to “all his DJ events” and showed up at his restaurant “a lot of times”. He said he had spoken to security about her. Sarah said she had attended two of his DJ nights with friends and went to his restaurant because her friend worked there and had not been spoken to by security. In a statement to Pitchfork, a representative for Butler acknowledged that she had sexual interactions with each of the four individuals, but said they were not initiated by him and were consensual. In a further statement, he detailed the allegations and said he had been through a period of alcoholism and depression. He apologized “to anyone I hurt with my behavior,” adding: “I continue to learn from my mistakes and work hard to become a better person, someone my son can be proud of. […] I regret not being more aware and attuned to the effect I have on people – I screwed up, and while it is no excuse, I will continue to look forward and heal what can be healed and learn from past experiences. “ In a statement, Chassagne said she was “sure” she had never touched a woman without her consent. He added: “He has lost his way and found his way back. I love him and I love the life we ​​created together.”