Arcade Fire frontman Win Butler accused of sexual misconduct, denies charges

Win Butler of the Grammy-winning band Arcade Fire has been accused of sexual misconduct byhisfans. A new report by Pitchfork has shared the shocking revelation about the rock band's frontman and the accusers, who accused the singer of the misconduct when they were very young and a huge fans of him.

Win has reacted to the claims and denied them by saying that all were consensual.

During their interaction, three women, who were huge fans of the band and the lead singer, said that they were very young between the ages of 18 and 23 when they met Butler.

As per Pitchfork, they felt that it was ''inappropriate given the gaps in age, power dynamics, and the context in which they occurred''.

However, the fourth person is gender fluid and goes with the pronouns They/ Them.

They claimed that Butler sexually assaulted them twice in 2015 when they were just 21 years old. Sharing more details about their interaction, they said that it first happened when they were riding in a car and the second time at their apartment where he showed up despite being textednot to come.

They also accused the singer of sending explicit texts, and photos of his genitals and forcing onone of them by entering her apartment without her consent.

Two women also provided a screen grab of their chat in which he (Butler) is urging them to keep this interaction to themselves. “Just promise me it’s private and you won’t tell people I messaged you or screen grab it or anything!” an alleged message reads via Pitchfork.

Butler, who formed the group released a full statement via his spokesperson in which he stated thatall the relationship was consensual and he was not the one who initiated it.

Butler is married to his co-singer Regine Chassange. The couple together created the rock bandin 2001, and got married in 2003 and have a son together.

''I love Régine with all of my heart. 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 judgment, and mistakes I have made.'' He said.

''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. The majority of these relationships were short-lived, and my wife is aware – our marriage has, in the past, been more unconventional than some. I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud. Most importantly, every single one of these interactions has been mutual and always between consenting adults. It is deeply revisionist, and frankly just wrong, for anyone to suggest otherwise.''

In the statement, he also stated that it was a tough period for him as he was dealing with mental health and was a heavy drinker.

''I have long struggled with mental health issues and the ghosts of childhood abuse. In my 30s, I started drinking as I dealt with the heaviest depression of my life after our family experienced a miscarriage. None of this is intended to excuse my behavior, but I do want to give some context and share what was happening in my life around this time. I no longer recognized myself or the person I had become. Régine waited patiently watching me suffer and tried to help me as best as she could. I know it must have been so hard for her to watch the person she loved so lost.''