Content warning: This story includes discussion of sexual assault.
In 2017, singer and songwriter Rex Orange County jumpstarted his career when he made a feature on Tyler the Creator’s album Flower Boy. Since then, he has had popular songs of his own, such as “Loving Is Easy” and “Pluto Projector.” He has released three studio albums and a live album. However, the artist, born Alexander O’Connor, has since been under scrutiny for sexual assault allegations against him.
On Oct. 10, The Sun reported that O’Connor appeared in UK court charged with six counts of sexual assault. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. a representative for the singer said in a statement to Variety, “Alex is shocked by the allegations, which he denies, and looks forward to clearing his name in court. He is unable to make any further comment because of the ongoing proceedings.”
The string of allegations dates back to the summer of 2021, with a trial date set for Jan. 3, 2023. Her Campus reached out to O’Connor’s team for comment about the allegations and impending trial, but did not hear back by the time of publication. Here’s a full timeline of the alleged events.
June 1, 2021: THE ALLEGED ASSAULT TAKES PLACE.
According to The Sun, a woman accused O’Connor of sexually assaulting her on six separate occasions over the course of two days. She first accused him of sexually assaulting her twice in London’s West End on June 1. He allegedly assaulted her four more times the following day, once in a taxi and three times at his home in Notting Hill.
July 2, 2022: O’Connor cancels his tour.
During the months between the alleged instances of sexual assault and before the court appearance in October, O’Connor ultimately took a break in his career. His fourth studio album Who Cares? was released on March 11, and he started touring in May. However, on July 2, O’Connor came on Instagram to announce he was canceling his Australia, New Zealand, and European tour dates due to “unforeseen personal circumstances” and “having to spend some time at home this year.”
Aug. 9, 2022: O’Connor releases another song.
On Aug. 9, O’Connor released a new song titled “Threat,” which he took a different musical direction in. In this song, he traded his typical acoustic beats for more upbeat guitar accents. Despite the change in musical direction, this was the last song he released. The song is about feelings of insecurity in a relationship, and the fear that another man might threaten his relationship with a girl.
Aug. 13, 2022: O’Connor plays his last show & goes dark online.
O’ Connor played his last show on Aug. 13 in Gunnersbury Park in London, where 20,000 people were in attendance. The next day ,he came to Instagram to thank his fans for the show and ended the post with “love you all so much. I’ll see you soon.” Since then, he has been absent from social media and public appearances.
Oct. 10, 2022: O’Connor appears in court to deny the allegations.
O’Connor appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London on Oct. 10 to deny the allegations. He pleaded not guilty to all six charges and was released on unconditional bail. Unconditional bail means the person accused isn’t at great risk of danger, so the only condition with their release is to return to a court regarding the case at a later date.
Jan. 3, 2023: the trial will begin.
There is a provisional trial date set for Jan. 3, 2023.
Correction (12/8/22): A previous version of this article misstated the year of the alleged assaults as 2022. It has been updated to reflect the correct year, 2021.