Prolific singer-songwriter Ryan Adams has been accused by seven women and more than a dozen associates of a pattern of manipulative behavior, mentoring young female musicians while simultaneously pursuing them for sex, The New York Times reports. Among those who came forward is now 20-year-old Ava, who was 14-years-old when Adams first contacted her. Text messages obtained by the Times show that when Ava was 15 and 16, Adams repeatedly asked about her age in sexually charged texts. “I never see pics of you anymore,” Adams reportedly wrote to her when she was 16. “You were blowing my mind.” Days later, he allegedly wrote, “I just want you to touch your nipple.” Adams’ ex-wife, the singer and actress Mandy Moore, told the Times that she eventually came to view his behavior with her as being psychologically abusive. The couple first became involved when Moore was 23, and Adams was a decade older. According to Moore, Adams repeatedly told her she wasn’t a real musician and blocked her from making connections in the music industry. “Music was a point of control for him,” Moore said.

According to multiple women, Adams would offer career help, then verbally abuse and harass them if they rejected him sexually. These accounts have been corroborated by family members or friends, as well as by messages from Adams that were reviewed by the Times. Adams has denied the claims through his lawyer, and said that he did not have the power to make or break careers.