Pop singer Børns accused of sexual misconduct

The US alt-pop singer Børns has been accused of sexual misconduct by a series of women.

The 26-year-old, whose real name is Garrett Clark Borns, is signed to Interscope and has released two albums, both of which reached the US Top 50. The second featured a guest spot from Lana Del Rey, who he has supported on tour. He describes the claims as "disturbing and false".

Four women have made allegations on Twitter. One former fan, Lyss, accuses him of "grooming" her for two years, including touching her inappropriately when she was 16 and requesting sexual images of her when she was 17. In an incident when she was 18, she says "he got me drunk, started touching me, and we went into his bedroom. The things he did were things I did not want, and it hurt. He was aggressive and controlling and I was so scared of him." She later added that she was not accusing him of rape or underage sex, and that the sexual contact was consensual.

Another woman, Mathilda, accuses him of exploitative and manipulative behaviour, saying he demanded nude photos and videos, and that their sexual contact, while consensual, made her "very uncomfortable".

A third woman, Nia, says she was "completely taken advantage of" by Borns while she was drunk, describing a sexual encounter that left her bleeding and another in which he refused to use protection. She also accuses him of inappropriately touching her in public.

An unnamed woman, whose messages were posted by the Twitter account "Exposing BØRNS", writes that the singer knew of her mental health issues and "took advantage of my being fragile … he goes after young, impressionable, unstable fans who he knows will do anything he wants them to including sending very explicit pictures and videos they're uncomfortable sending [because] they love him and don't want to lose his attention".

Borns has responded to the accusations in a statement on Instagram, saying: "I am both hurt and angered over the disturbing and false allegations over the past few days on social media. All of the relationships I have had were legal and consensual. They ended abruptly and that obviously caused hurt feelings, but for anyone to suggest anything beyond that is irresponsible."

What’s coming up in concerts and albums

Autumn is typically a wind-down time for the music business, with summer festivals and major album releases usually in the rear-view mirror. Speaking of things in the past, a survey of coming shows and anticipated albums reveals a slew of farewell tours, posthumous releases and even a “concert” starring a deceased singer.

But while we wave goodbye to two of the greatest pop songwriters of their generation (Paul Simon and Elton John, both on final tours) or listen to previously unreleased music from late icons Prince and Tom Petty, let’s loosen the black shawls a little. The coming music calendar includes the world premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s opera, a salute to Canada’s country music queen Shania Twain and highly anticipated books from a pair of acclaimed Indigenous musicians.


Paul Simon finishes off what he has announced to be his final tour with two shows at Madison Square Garden (Sept. 20 and 21) and a finale at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in his hometown of Queens, N.Y., on Sept. 22. Simon, 76, will release his latest album, In the Blue Light, on Sept. 7.

Fellow septuagenarian Elton John will don sequins and sunglasses for the last time for a Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour that hits Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City in late September.

Also quitting the road is Ozzy Osbourne (who plays Toronto’s Budweiser Stage on Sept. 4). Mind you, the Black Sabbath madman’s supposed farewell jaunt is called No More Tours 2, so don’t be surprised if he rises again.

Noticeably missing from the eclectic short list of 10 nominated albums for this year’s Polaris Prize are records by Neil Young, Gord Downie and the Grammy-winning Nova Scotia soprano Barbara Hannigan. Instead, those in contention for the $50,000 award are Alvvays, Jean-Michel Blais, Daniel Caesar, Jeremy Dutcher, Pierre Kwenders, Hubert Lenoir, Partner, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, U.S. Girls and Weaves. Despite the relative anonymity of some of the nominated artists, the gala ceremony (which happens in Toronto on Sept. 17) routinely features dynamite live performances by the musicians vying for the annual honour.


Kicking off the Canadian Country Music Association’s yearly award-giving bash will be a tribute to Shania Twain, the Grammy-decorated singer from Timmins, Ont. The salute, broadcast live from Hamilton’s FirstOntario Centre (Sept. 9 on CBC), will feature Jess Moskaluke, Kira Isabella and Madeline Merlo.