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Shanachie RecordsSyleena Johnson recorded several songs with R. Kelly, and her dramatic interview with his former wife, Drea Kelly, on the TV One show Sister Circle revealed the years of abuse Drea allegedly suffered at the hands of the singer. Syleena has known Kelly and Drea for over 15 years, and she tells ABC Radio, “I pray for Robert, but I also pray for her, and I pray for their kids.”
Johnson interviewed Kelly’s former wife in June, and Drea was brought to tears as she described how she nearly took her own life because of her violent marriage. It was a very difficult job for Johnson, who’d been unaware of the abuse.
“It was hurtful to hear her say those things,” Johnson says. “A lot of those things I didn’t know, and I felt crazy sitting there listening like I didn’t know this stuff was going on while you we were all around each other.”
Johnson says Drea’s revelations put her in an awkward situation.
“I can’t say that I know anything what happened for sure because I didn’t see anything with my own two eyes, but if these things are true, then it’s bad news, man. It’s just bad news,” Johnson says.
Kelly and Drea married in 1996, and divorced in 2009. They have three children. Johnson believes Drea waited nine years to make her shocking revelations because she was afraid of how their children would react.
“The kids are watching, maybe that’s why she it took her so long,” says Johnson. “I’m honored that she chose our show and chose me and I had to respect that, because that is her story and her truth, and she deserved to tell it.”
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