Arcade Fire singer Win Butler denies sexual misconduct allegations from four people while admitting to consensual encounters: ‘Sorry for the pain I caused’

metro.co.uk:

Arcade Fire rocker Win Butler has spoken out to deny allegations of sexual misconduct from four people. In a new report, three women have come forward to accuse the Reflektor singer of having sexual interactions with them which they felt were inappropriate due to the age gap between them; Butler was aged 34-39 when the incidents allegedly happened between 2015 and 2020, while the women were aged 18-23.

One fourth person, who is gender-fluid individual and uses they/them pronouns, alleged Butler sexually assaulted them twice in 2015 when they were 21 years old.

Butler, 42, has been married to his Arcade Fire bandmate Régine Chassange since 2003 and they share a nine-year-old son. The musician has addressed the allegations in a lengthy statement denying the allegations of sexual misconduct, insisting the encounters were consensual. ‘I love Régine with all of my heart,’ Butler began in the statement shared with Pitchfork, who originally published the allegations.‘We have been together for twenty years, she is my partner in music and in life, my soulmate and I am lucky and grateful to have her by my side.

But at times, it has been difficult to balance being the father, husband, and bandmate that I want to be. Today I want to clear the air about my life, poor judgement, and mistakes I have made.’ He stated: ‘I have had consensual relationships outside of my marriage.‘There is no easy way to say this, and the hardest thing I have ever done is having to share this with my son.