Benee’s manager hands back award
The music manager of pop superstar Benee has handed back his 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards Manager of the Year award and apologised for ‘‘crossing professional boundaries’’ with artists he represented.
Paul McKessar was one of two high-profile music executives named in a Stuff #metooNZ investigation into claims of sexual harassment and abuse of power in the New Zealand music industry, on Sunday.
The other man, Scott Maclachlan, who discovered singer Lorde and helped her to stardom, admitted to years of sexual harassment and harmful behaviour.
Stuff’s investigation found he was demoted and banned from Warner Music’s Australian properties and gigs after the company commissioned an external sexual harassment investigation in 2018. On Sunday night, Warner Music Australasia fired Maclachlan.
In an apology posted to his Instagram account yesterday, McKessar wrote: ‘‘I am truly sorry for the pain I caused Possum and Lydia. There’s no excuse for crossing professional boundaries.
‘‘I am continuing the personal work required to be a better and more accountable member of the music community. I also appreciate it shouldn’t take a brave stance to enact change, and I hope theirs brings more progress to our entire community. I wholeheartedly apologise to them both.’’
He followed up with a comment apologising to the Music Managers Forum (MMF) for ‘‘not meeting their code of conduct’’, and said he had ‘‘relinquished’’ his 2020 Music Manager award. His apology yesterday was in stark contrast to his previous statements on the matter. On Friday, in response to questions from Stuff about his behaviour towards two of his clients, singersongwriters Possum Plows and Lydia Cole, he said he would not be commenting on a ‘‘consensual relationship’’ he considered private.
When contacted yesterday, McKessar again said he would not be commenting on his ‘‘private life’’.
Later, McKessar emailed Cole with a personal apology. At time of publication, he had not contacted Plows. Both artists said they were upset McKessar chose to apologise to the public first, calling his apology ‘‘performative’’.
Cole said the email from McKessar did not address his behaviour towards her and was ‘‘almost all just flattery’’.