Jesy Nelson has hit back at ‘blackfishing’ claims amid criticism over her new solo music video.
The 30-year-old singer came under the spotlight as fans caught a glimpse of the video for the first time yesterday.
Her debut single Boyz features collaborations with Nikki Minaj and P Diddy.
But a number of people accused the ex- Little Mix star of blackfishing - which is a term used for someone who is pretending to be black or mixed race.
Jesy sports a deep tan and braided hair in the Boyz video, the Mirror reports.
In an interview with Vulture, the popstar hit back at the claims of cultural appropriation and said that the term has never been aimed at her before her exit from Little Mix last year.
She said: “The whole time I was in Little Mix, I never got any of that. And then I came out of [the band] and people all of a sudden were saying it. I wasn’t on social media around that time, so I let my team [deal with it], because that was when I’d just left.
“But I mean, I love black culture. I love black music. That’s all I know; it’s what I grew up on.
“I’m very aware that I’m a white British woman; I’ve never said that I wasn’t.”
When questioned about claims that critics were blocked from her Instagram after making accusations of blackfishing, Jesy said that it might have been a member of her team that did that on her behalf.
Following the interview, a member of Jesy’s team confirmed to the publication that the comments had been deleted, with users blocked from her account.
Jesy added in a statement: “I know comments relating to this had previously been deleted from my IG account, I only found out afterwards that a member of my management team had deleted comments.
"I’ve spent years being bullied online, so I limit the amount I go on socials. My management team have access to my account & they were trying to protect me & my mental health."
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