Content warning: This article contains references to sexual assault.
Canadian musician and producer Michael Milosh of Rhye, is facing down a lawsuit from ex-wife Alexa Nikolas over alleged sexual battery, gender violence and more.
As reported by outlets including The A.V. Club and Pitchfork, Nikolas alleges that Milosh’s streak of abusive behaviour extended back to before they were married, where she claims he made ‘sexually inappropriate comments [to her]’ as a minor; requesting explicit photos, sharing nude photographs of her with other women, and requesting Nikolas to ‘expose herself to him’.
Nikolas claimed in a 2018 interview with Verse that she began talking with Milosh when she was 16 and he was 33, back in 2008. They had connected via Myspace, where Nikolas had reached out and was ‘complimenting his music, and commenting that she would like to see him perform the next time he was in Los Angeles’.
The lawsuit goes on to claim that from that initial contact, Nikolas and Milosh began speaking on the phone regularly. Allegedly, in the following two years, Nikolas was repeatedly asked by Milosh to take explicit photographs of herself to be sent to him before they met for the first time in person, when Nikolas was 18.
Nikolas’ lawsuit goes on to allege instances of sexual battery, violence; disturbingly detailing an incident in 2010 or 2011, when the musician allegedly coerced Nikolas to allow him to record them having sex while she was heavily intoxicated. According to the lawsuit, the audio has been used ‘throughout his entire album Jet Lag‘, with a segment of the audio specifically used in the song ‘Don’t Call It’, where Nikolas can be heard saying ‘no’ to Milosh sexually assaulting her.
If you need assistance, 1800 RESPECT – the National Sexual Assault, Domestic and Family Violence Counselling Service — can be reached on 1800 737 732.
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