R. Kelly not holding me captive, woman says

A woman has denied claims by her parents that she is being held against her will in a “cult” by R& B star R. Kelly.

Jocelyn Savage, 21, conducted a video interview from an undisclosed location a day after her family held a press conference claiming she had been brainwashed by the controversial singer.

Savage told the website TMZ: “I’m 21, I’m about to be 22 in a few days, and I just mainly want to say that I am not being brainwashed or anything like that.

“I just want everyone to know, my parents and everyone in the world, I am totally fine and everything’s OK with me. I’ve never been feeling hostage or anything like that, ever.”

Savage’s parents alleged Monday she was being held against her will and suffering from Stockholm syndrome.

Asked by TMZ if she was in Atlanta, where her parents believe she is, Savage said: “No, I’m not.”

Asked if she had roommates and was free to go, she said: “I won’t speak on that.”

R. Kelly, 50, has denied allegations initially made in an article by BuzzFeed News that he was keeping six aspiring female singers in a “cult” atmosphere.

The story, posted Monday, detailed several parents’ attempts to contact and free their daughters from Kelly’s properties in Chicago and Duluth, Ga. Former members of his inner circle — Cheryl Mack, Kitti Jones and Asante McGee — allege he controls what the women can and cannot do.

They told BuzzFeed the women, ranging from two teenagers to a 31- year- old “den mother,” are required to refer to Kelly as “Daddy” and must ask for permission to leave the properties. Kelly reportedly confiscated their cellphones and, in addition to dictating their daily activities, films their sexual encounters. “R. Kelly is the sweetest person you will ever want to meet,” McGee told BuzzFeed. “But Robert is the devil.”

The parents of one teenager last saw their daughter, a singer, in December. They told BuzzFeed it seemed as though she had been “brainwashed.”

“I hope that if I get her back, I can get her treatment for victims of cults,” the mother said. “They can reprogram her. But I wish I could have stopped it from happening.”

The Grammy- winning performer’s lawyer, Linda Mensch, said Tuesday he denies all allegations.