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In a March 3 Instagram post, singer and rapper Bri Steves wrotes that she was a victim of “mental and sexual abuse from men nearly 20 years older than me” while she was coming up in the music industry and signed to a label and a production company. “They smiled in my face and called me family while running a cycle of control, fear, and manipulation behind closed doors,” Steves’ post says.
She also noted that she was signed to Atlantic Records and an unnamed production company in 2016, writing, “For years I’ve been fighting to free myself. Trying to break out of contracts I should’ve been released from a long time ago.” She adds: “Whether they sign those papers or not, I’m done being quiet. I’m standing on truth.” Steves has not been on the Atlantic roster since 2023, according to a source close to the situation.
In a new post on March 4, Steves shared that she had found some resolution. “Now I’m free. I used my voice. And I fucking won,” she wrote. Tynia Coats, Steves’ attorney, tells Rolling Stone exclusively, “I am happy to finally see some type of resolve that brings peace to my client. While I cannot discuss the details, I want to highlight the broader, deeply troubling patterns of sexual abuse and exploitation that continue to stifle so many women in the music industry. Too often, women in music—from the creatives to the women on the business side—face systemic power imbalances that silence us and protect abusers. This industry operates in a way where many of the people and entities in power are so intertwined that it is intimidating to speak out against one person, for fear of how that may affect everything else connected to them. Let this serve as a reminder that change in the music industry is long overdue.”
In 2018, Steves released one of her breakthrough tracks, “Jealousy,” which has earned more than 2.5 million views on YouTube. Last March, she made her debut on YouTube’s popular performance platform Colors with “Lonely with You/Back Outside.”
In her March 3 statement, which was posted on a black background to her Instagram profile, Steves alleged that the aforementioned men “Controlled every part of my life-my music, my money, where I lived, who l could talk to, what I was allowed to say. They groomed me. Manipulated me. Made me believe I had no other option but to stay in it. They threatened me with blackmail and violence. They made sure I felt trapped. And when my mom passed, they told me they were glad she was gone-so l’d have no one left to run to. I’ll never forget that.”
Steves alleged that the men have other victims and that other girls and women warned her that “You’ll lose your life if you speak up” and that she “thought being silent would protect me.”
“Honestly, I’m tired,” Steves wrote. “A woman’s voice is more powerful than any man who tries to silence her.”
This story was updated at 6:15 p.m. on March 4 to reflect new statements from Bri Steves and attorney Tynia Coats.
