Jaguar Jonze Sat Down with ‘The Project’ to Discuss Abuse in the Music Industry
"When I sat down with the second producer and said, 'Hey, your colleague is making me feel extremely uncomfortable' ... he replied, 'That's normal behaviour when he is intoxicated, don't worry about it.'"
Artist Jaguar Jonze — real name Deena Lynch — sat down with The Project to talk about her own experience of sexual assault in the music industry.
Content warning: This story contains discussion of sexual assault
Lynch, who has had a long and accomplished career in the industry, detailed an incident in which she was assaulted by two producers. The incident with the producers, who she had known for about a week, occurred in the midst of a crowded nightclub.
“I had spent the entire evening with my friend next to me,” said Lynch. “As soon as my friend left there was a really quick change in behaviour. [The two producers] straight away went for it. Grabbing me. Being very sexual towards me. The language changed. The behaviour changed.
“It started with just the one producer. And then when I found an opportunity, I went to the second producer. When I sat down with the second producer and said, ‘Hey, your colleague is making me feel extremely uncomfortable’ … he replied, ‘That’s normal behaviour when he is intoxicated, don’t worry about it.’
“Then he himself when I confided in him began to do the exact same thing that the first producer did. Running his hand down my thighs, telling me my boyfriend didn’t need to know.
“I was verbally constantly saying, ‘No, no, no.'”
The interview dropped the same day as a new report shared by The Industry Observer that uncovers the extent of sexual assault in the Australian music industry. The report, conducted by Dr. Jeff Crabtree, is predicated on 145 interviews conducted online. One of the most shocking figures from the report states that 13.5% of female respondents were the victims of inappropriate sexual innuendo at least once a week.
You can watch the interview with Lynch in full below: