May 09, 2007 @ 5:18 pm

Akon Apologizes for Grinding Incident

The R&B force apologized for freaking an underage girl in Trinidad.

Akon has apologized for grinding with a 14-year-old girl at a concert, an incident which led the Trinidadian prime minister to denounce the star and caused sponsors to pull from his tour. "I want to sincerely apologize for the embarrassment and any pain I've caused to the young woman who joined me onstage, her family and the Trinidad community for the events at my concert," Akon told the Associated Press Wednesday (May 9). "It was never my intention to embarrass or take advantage of my fans in any way, especially those under the age of 18," he continued. "That is why we tried to make sure that the club did not admit anyone under 18 in the audience," he said. "Somehow, that standard was not met." On April 12, Akon was performing in Trinidad when he began dancing suggestively with a girl from the audience. The incident was videotaped and spread to the internet, where it was later discovered the girl was 14 years old. Subsequently, Verizon withdrew its sponsorship from Akon's tour with Gwen Stefani, and several members of the Trinidadian government requested formal charges be brought against the singer for "lewd dancing." The girl, a Pastor's daughter, has since denounced Akon's music. In April, she told the Trinidad Express she had turned to God because of the public humiliation she suffered.

Article tags: Akon, Apologizes, Grinding, Incident 

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