TRIGGER WARNING This article or section, or pages it links to, contains information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors.
Sigur Rós drummer Orri Páll Dýrason has been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Los Angeles in 2013.
Dýrason was accused by artist Meagan Boyd, on her Instagram account. Boyd claimed that Dýrason assaulted her whilst she slept after they spent the night out together in 2013.
In a post on Instagram Boyd detailed the night that took place. The post was captioned with “I was drunk, and I had met him at a club (I had a brief period in which I was a dancer at a club called ‘the body shop’), I also engaged in a kiss with him before falling asleep in the same bed, after that I completely knocked out. I woke up with the feeling of being penetrated without my consent during a deep slumber…. It happened twice that night, and I wondered [to] myself why I didn’t leave after the first time—but I was drunk, dead tired, in shock, and this was right before I ever heard of anything like Uber/Lyft…. But none of that should matter because no one deserves to be raped/touched/licked/fucked without CONSENT.”
In a since-deleted Instagram post from last week, Boyd shared an email conversation between herself and Dýrason. In which he debated her recollection of the night. Dýrason said “I cannot understand why you would want to publicly accuse me of something I did not do. I am so sorry you are going through all this. But my experience from that night is completely different from yours.”
Dýrason has since left the band, and Sigur Ros made the following statement on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/sigurros/posts/10156816954749124
On his personal Facebook account, Dýrason issued this lengthy statement.
I begin with thanking my friends and relatives for the support you have shown. It is good for me feel for your trust, despite the serious public allegations against me.
This matter has undeniably taken its toll on me for the past few days. Justifiably, some will say, and I do not intend to argue with those people. However, I sincerely ask the same people to steer their anger into the right path and abstain from dragging my family, and especially my wife, into this matter. At the same time, I ask people to stay calm and not to be divided into two battling armies, these are not court proceedings, just Meagan’s words against mine, on the internet. Loud and provocative words are in nobody’s favour—neither to me or her.
In light of the scale of this matter, I have decided to leave Sigur Rós. That is a difficult decision for me, but I cannot have these serious allegations influence the band and the important and beautiful work that has been done there for the last years. A job that is so dear to me.
I will do anything in my power to get myself out of this nightmare, but out of respect for those actually suffering from sexual violence, I will not take that fight public.
