Through the beginning of 2020, it looked like this year would be nothing but ascendant for Doja Cat. She was achieving viral stardom, and real-deal crossover stardom, through “Say So.” But if you saw Doja Cat’s name pop up in the last couple days, it was for a much different reason.

After videos surfaced that seemed to show Doja Cat participating in alt-right/racist chatrooms, #dojacatisoverparty began trending on Twitter. The singer came under fire for it all, which also dredged up an old song of hers called “Dindu Nuffin” — a title that references alt-right dismissals of black victims of police brutality.

Now, the singer has taken to Instagram and issued an apology and explanation for the whole situation:

I want to address what’s been happening on Twitter.

I’ve used public chat rooms to socialize since I was a child. I shouldn’t have been on some of those chat room sites, but I personally have never been involved in any racist conversations. I’m sorry to everyone that I offended.

I’m a black woman. Half of my family is black from South Africa and I’m very proud of where I come from.

As for the old song that’s resurfaced, it was in no way tied to anything outside of my own personal experience. It was written in response to people who often used that term to hurt me. I made an attempt to flip its meaning, but recognize that it was a bad decision to use the term in my music.

I understand my influence and impact and I’m taking this all very seriously. I love you all and I’m sorry for upsetting or hurting any of you. That’s not my character, and I’m determined to show that to everybody moving forward. Thank you.

You can her original post below: