CONTENT WARNING: The following article discusses suicide and emotional abuse.
Last week, screenshots of abusive emails and messages allegedly sent by The Smith Street Band frontman Wil Wagner to two previous partners of his were posted online.
Until now, both partners have remained anonymous. But Camp Cope‘s Georgia McDonald has outed herself as ‘Unnamed 1’ in a lengthy statement posted to Instagram.
“I am the receiver” – Georgia Maq
“My name is Georgia McDonald, and I’m sure by now a lot of you have figured out that it was my inbox that those emails ended up in,” she writes. “I am the receiver.
“I gave permission for those emails to be released after Ryan Adams was exposed last week for all his abusive behaviours towards women.
“This triggered me. Triggers are a result of trauma. I haven’t been with anybody since.”
Maq continues, “I’ve been told it was just a bad break up. I had to threaten him with an Intervention Order for him to stop harassing me. This was not a bad break up. This was harassment and emotional abuse.
“Since the emails were released, I’ve been told I’m acting like a spoiled brat. I’ve been told I just want to destroy him and them. I’ve been told I’m just doing it for attention.
“This is why people don’t come out about abuse.”
McDonald, who performs under the name Georgia Maq, also speaks about how Wagner allegedly “did a public Reddit AMA and publicly named” her. She says that right before Camp Cope released their second album, last year’s How To Socialise & Make Friends, Wagner “threaten (sic) to kill [her] and then himself.”
She also gives a run down of what she wants from Wagner: a genuine apology to herself and the other alleged victims; an open address of his behaviour and a commitment to change; for those around him to hold him accountable and for the band to make a “sizeable donation” to organisations such as “Undercurrent Victoria, and an organisation that helps support First Nations women and children, such as Djirra, Elizabeth Morgan House or Strong Grandmothers of the Central Desert.”
Earlier tonight, Wagner released a statement addressing the emails, saying that the emails were selectively chosen out of context and are one sided. Read that here.
Read McDonald’s full statement below.
UPDATE (27/2/19): The Beths & Sweater Curse Pull Out Of Nationwide Tour With The Smith Street Band
The views expressed by people and organisations quoted in this article are not the view of Music Feeds or its employees.
Further Reading
Ben Lee and Camp Cope’s Georgia Maq Share New Collab ‘Arsehole’
Watch Camp Cope’s New Video for ‘Running With the Hurricane’
