Dean Lewis has withdrawn from two major Australian awards in the wake of mounting public pressure over his conduct with fans.
The Sydney songwriter had been up for Song of the Year at the 2025 ARIA Awards for “With You”, taken from his third album The Epilogue, which was released last October. An ARIA spokesperson confirmed the withdrawal to the Daily Telegraph, saying the awards body had “been advised that the artist and his management have requested to withdraw from Song of the Year, which we have now actioned.”
Lewis was a finalist in the category alongside the likes of FISHER for “Stay”, The Kid LAROI for “Girls” and Dom Dolla (with Daya) for “Dreamin”.
Lewis has also been removed from the running for Music Artist of the Year at the annual TikTok Awards. “To present Dean with a genuine opportunity to step back and focus on his wellbeing, TikTok has agreed to remove Dean from nomination for their annual awards at our request,” a spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph.
He had been nominated alongside Max Jackson, Keli Holiday, Larissa Lambert and Lance Savali.
Earlier this month, Rolling Stone AU/NZ reported on Lewis’ public apology after leaked private messages and videos fuelled claims he’d behaved inappropriately with fans online. None of the allegations levelled at Lewis involve criminal behaviour, but the outcry has been swift and sustained.
In the first statement posted to his socials, Lewis said: “I understand why people are angry and disappointed after learning embarrassing details of intimate, private conversations and relationships I’ve had with consenting adults over the past decade, but I want to emphasise that none of this is illegal… The individuals leading the campaign against me have repeatedly acknowledged this, and I’m hurt by any suggestion that I’ve done things that have crossed into illegality. At the same time, I realise I’ve made an incredible mess, people are genuinely hurt, and I need to make changes.”
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He continued: “In the past few days, social media has made public a decade-plus of private conversations with a number of women, all of adult age. I don’t fault these individuals for having hard feelings, and I don’t want anyone defending me. I was breathtakingly dumb texting and flirting in the manner I have over many years. I should have been more sensitive that not everyone might look at our interactions the way I often did. From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely apologise to those I’ve hurt. This is not only an apology to the women who have spoken up, but those who haven’t and felt hurt by my words or behavior. I also need to apologise to my family and fans who I’ve gravely disappointed.”
After further backlash, Lewis issued a second apology, again posted to Instagram, saying: “From the bottom of my heart, I want to sincerely apologise to those I’ve hurt. This is not only an apology to the women who have spoken up, but those who haven’t and felt hurt by my words or behaviour.”
“I am enrolling myself into intense therapy to make better choices and dramatically shift my approach to dating, relationships, and showing greater care to the women in my life.”
Lewis has not yet made a public statement regarding the award withdrawals.
