Dimitri Halkidis
The singer is more concerned with the bigger picture than what happens to Diddy, while addressing the "hold" she believes he has on others who haven't yet spoken out.
Aubrey O'Day is determined to change the music industry, insisting that there is a "systemic issue" as sexual misconduct allegations against Sean "Diddy" Combs continue to come to light.
While attending the Gurus Magazine's #30Voices30Days launch party in Los Angeles, the artist exclusively told TooFab that she is not entirely surprised by the amount of people who have chosen to remain silent on the allegations.
"I'm surprised at the number of people that still haven't," O'Day said.
She then qualified her statement, "Not surprised, but I really still see how much of the hold, what being a part of what he created for the people in moments and times that we all experienced him, I still see how deeply it lives in so many of us."
The rapper and music mogul is currently under federal investigation and is facing multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape.
As for what O'Day wants to see happen to Diddy following the investigation?
"It's not up for me to have any opinion about what I want to happen in regards to one specific person," she said.
"This is a systemic issue and I'm more focused on the ways in which the music industry specifically need to evolve and the ways in which we need to go about creating a safe space for music artists without any obligations and to be freely respected and paid for their work, without any obligation, without any black lists, without any pressure to do anything other than be the talented people that they showed up to be," the 40-year-old singer explained.
The artist -- who used to be signed to Diddy's Bad Boy -- worked with the producer in the 2000s and has been speaking out about him for years. Most recently, she called him out for "not" apologizing to his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in an Instagram video he shared after CNN released footage of his 2016 hotel attack on Ventura.
Speaking with TooFab, the former member of girl group Danity Kane said she "doesn't pay attention" to the reactions she gets when she does speak out about Diddy.
"It's all so ego based and I'm just so motivated and dedicated to create change in this industry. I work so hard all day long on some projects that are coming out in the future and I'm just truly in an advocating stage of my life where I really do want to see the system -- the music industry in particular -- make a lot of advances before I go."
Ventura took to Instagram less than a week after footage obtained by CNN saw the Bad Boy rapper physically assaulting the singer-model in the hallway of Los Angeles-area hotel in 2016.
"Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers, and those I have yet to meet. The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning. Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become," Ventura began.
She continued, "With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to take this matter seriously. My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in."
Ventura ended the moving post with offering her support to those who may be going through or have experienced something similar, writing, "I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear. Reach out to your people, don't cut them off."
"No one should carry this weight alone," she added, before once again offering her gratitude for the support she's received. "This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me. Thank you. Love Always, Cassie."
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages; Calls are confidential and toll-free.
