First and foremost, for his victims.
It began with a New York Times story.
For nearly two decades, Ryan Adams, one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of his generation, has been heralded as a mercurial creative genius and a respected industry tastemaker.
Equal parts punk-rock folk hero and romantic troubadour, Adams, 44, has 16 albums and seven Grammy nominations to his name. He has overseen music by Willie Nelson, written a Tim McGraw hit and recorded with John Mayer.
He has also taken a special interest in the trajectory of female artists, especially younger ones, championing them onstage, across social media and in the studio, where his stamp of approval can jump-start careers.
Some now say that Adams’s rock-star patronage masked a darker reality. In interviews, seven women and more than a dozen associates described a pattern of manipulative behavior in which Adams dangled career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex. In some cases, they said, he would turn domineering and vengeful, jerking away his offers of support when spurned, and subjecting women to emotional and verbal abuse, and harassment in texts and on social media. The accounts have been corroborated by family members or friends who were present at the time, as well as by correspondence from Adams reviewed by The New York Times.
Adams is revered in the music world for his own talent and his work with other musicians, including his pivotal role in Jason Isbell’s recovery from addiction
There is more on reaction from other artists in Variety.
A New York Times expose rocked the music industry on Wednesday, containing stories from several women claiming that singer/songwriter Ryan Adams exhibited “a pattern of manipulative behavior in which [he] dangled career opportunities while simultaneously pursuing female artists for sex.”
Even Adams’ ex-wife, Mandy Moore, spoke out in the report, claiming that he effectively took control of her music career. Adams, for his part, denied the allegations, calling the NYT report “upsettingly inaccurate.”
It didn’t take long for celebrities and those in the music industry to react. Writer Roxane Gay took to Twitter, writing, “This is incredibly disappointing to learn about Ryan Adams.” She continued in a thread:
“Just. My god. Why can’t men get it together? ‘If people knew they would say I was like R. Kelley lol'” Gay tweeted, citing an alleged quote from Adams in the story. She went on to explain her own experience with professional mentorship.
Pitchfork has a story up that includes tweets in response from Adams, which I will not copy here.
The disappointment of his fans is tertiary to the pain of his victims and the betrayal felt by family and friends, but this is a difficult one.