Following a slew of controversy and backlash, DaniLeigh issued an apology for — yet still defends — her song, “Yellow Bone.”
The Dominican-American singer has faced backlash for her latest single’s release, with many feeling it perpetuates colorism. She had already taken to social media to address the backlash last week, writing, “Why I can’t make a song for my light skin baddies?? Why y’all think I’m hating on other colors when there are millions of songs speaking on all types… Why y’all so sensitive & take it personal… Gahhhh damn.”
While DaniLeigh continued to defend “Yellow Bone,” the controversy didn’t seem to blow over. On Sunday, she took to Instagram to explain how she feels people have misinterpreted her message, issuing an official apology video while still defending the song and its message.
“I just wanted to address what’s going on with me right now,” she says. “I think it’s super important because I definitely feel super misunderstood.”
She goes on to insist that people are twisting her song’s original intent, explaining: “I think people twisted it into thinking, like, I’m trying to bash another woman, another skin tone; like, that was never my intention. I wasn’t brought up like that, I never looked at my skin as a privilege. I never looked at me as ‘I’m better than somebody because of my skin tone.’”
DaniLeigh does not stop there, and defends herself.
“I see brown-skinned women flaunt their skin all the time in music; why can’t I talk about mine?” she wonders aloud. “If you look at me, I’m light-skinned, I’m a yellow bone. In my opinion, that’s just what I am. So, it wasn’t something that I looked at so deeply.”
Read More: Singer DaniLeigh slammed for ‘Yellow Bone’ song celebrating ‘light skin baddies’
She also denied being racist, stating, “Colorism is a real thing, so I do get it. But I’m not that. I’m not a colorist. I’m not a racist. I date a whole chocolate man. I have beautiful dark-skinned friends.”
DaniLeigh concludes her Instagram message by saying she is sorry, not for the song, but if she offended people.
“I’m sorry, again, if I offended people — who are truly offended — I’m sorry,” she says. “I’m going to just keep grinding, keep doing me, keep posting me. I hope everybody has a great Sunday. It’s all love.”
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