Latest news with #Caity
Scottish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Emotional moment pop star reveals horrifying sexual assault by family friend when she was just eight years old
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRITISH popstar has revealed the horror moment she was subject to a sexual assault aged just eight. The Brighton-based songstress spoke bravely about her ordeal at the hands of a family friend on Paul Carrick Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 6 Popstar Caity Baser has revealed she was subject to a horrifying sexual assault by a family friend when she was just eight years old Credit: YouTube/We Need To Talk 6 X and Y singer Caity is best known for her music career Credit: Getty 6 Yet the chart star has now given a brave look into her private life Credit: Getty X and Y singer Caity Baser, 23, was inspired to become a singer after watching Katy Perry at London's O2. The chart star, known for tracks including Pretty Boys, began writing songs in lockdown. Her tune Average Student is about how mundane life is and amassed half a million views in less than a day after being uploaded to TikTok. She has already collaborated with Sigala, Mae Muller and Stefflon Don. Yet away from her success on the music scene, she spoke frankly about her terrible childhood ordeal in the MAFS expert's latest podcast. Caity, who was born in Southampton, revealed the meaning behind her new track The Weight Of You and said the meaning was "a big one." Paul encouraged her to "throw a boundary" in the chat whenever she needed to as he raised how she was sexually assaulted at the age of eight, and to "say only what you are comfortable saying." Caity then confessed: "I was eight years old and I was out with my grandad and going back to his house and it was my grandad's next door neighbour that did it to me. "Who I knew, and spent a lot of time together, and he was really lovely to me. Celebs Go Dating Paul Carrick Brunson agent reveals series of explosive bust-ups "My grandad parked the car up and just went inside because he [the neighbour] was like 'hi Caity are you OK' because that was normal." She then continued of the alleged perpetrator: "He started talking he sort of like grabbed me and pulled me in, and yeah. "That [sexual assualt] happened, I came out, and obviously was like 'that was wrong.' "I went to my grandad and burst into tears and said 'take me home'." Caity then told how the ordeal had sadly strained her relationship with her grandfather. She broke down in tears as she suggested the incident had been where "all the issues with myself had stemmed from." Fans were quick to offer their support and praise Caity's candid approach. One wrote: "Wow what a beautiful conversation and big up Caity for your honesty. Talking about these difficult conversations will help so many people." A second put: "This really spoke to me. I related a lot. Well done for speaking up x" A third then posted: "This interview is so powerful! Caity babes you are an inspiration." One then put: "This is everything these conversations are so important and all of the topics were handled with such grace and sensitivity. "Thought I was going to have a little cry at my desk but you both created such a safe space!" CAITY BASER'S CHART HITS BRIT popstar Caity Baser has rocketed in popularity in the UK - yet what are her hits? The Brighton-based star, known for tracks including Pretty Boys, began writing songs in lockdown. Her tune Average Student is about how mundane life is and amassed half a million views in less than a day after being uploaded to TikTok. She has already collaborated with Sigala, Mae Muller and Stefflon Don. Her highest-charting hit is Pretty Boys which reached number 26 on the UK chart. Dance Around It, with Joel Corry, reached 61, while X and Y charted at 91. Feels This Good then peaked at 93. Her debut EP was Thanks For Nothing, See You Never SPEAK OUT Previously, Caity told how she funelled her own personal experiences into her songwriting. She admitted to Ticketmaster Discover it had been an evolving process and said: "I think it's because I spent so much of my life beating around the bush and sugar coating everything. "I was afraid I was gonna hurt someone's feelings, afraid to say how I actually felt. "Now that I have a platform of people supporting me and telling me that they want me to tell them how I feel, why wouldn't I do it? "So I'm just like, 'Here's what happened, here's how I feel about it!'" 6 Caity told how her alleged abuser was a family friend Credit: YouTube/We Need To Talk 6 Caity was praised by fans for her honesty Credit: AP
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Emotional moment pop star reveals horrifying sexual assault by family friend when she was just eight years old
A BRITISH popstar has revealed the horror moment she was subject to a sexual assault aged just eight. The Brighton-based songstress spoke bravely about her ordeal at the hands of a family friend on Paul Carrick Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast. Advertisement 6 Popstar Caity Baser has revealed she was subject to a horrifying sexual assault by a family friend when she was just eight years old Credit: YouTube/We Need To Talk 6 X and Y singer Caity is best known for her music career Credit: Getty 6 Yet the chart star has now given a brave look into her private life Credit: Getty X and Y singer Caity Baser, 23, was inspired to become a singer after watching Katy Perry at London's O2. The chart star, known for tracks including Pretty Boys, began writing songs in lockdown. Her tune Average Student is about how mundane life is and amassed half a million views in less than a day after being uploaded to TikTok. She has already collaborated with Sigala, Mae Muller and Stefflon Don. Advertisement Yet away from her success on the music scene, she spoke frankly about her terrible childhood ordeal in the MAFS expert's latest podcast. Caity, who was born in Southampton, revealed the meaning behind her new track The Weight Of You and said the meaning was "a big one." Paul encouraged her to "throw a boundary" in the chat whenever she needed to as he raised how she was sexually assaulted at the age of eight, and to "say only what you are comfortable saying." Caity then confessed: "I was eight years old and I was out with my grandad and going back to his house and it was my grandad's next door neighbour that did it to me. Advertisement "Who I knew, and spent a lot of time together, and he was really lovely to me. Celebs Go Dating Paul Carrick Brunson agent reveals series of explosive bust-ups "My grandad parked the car up and just went inside because he [the neighbour] was like 'hi Caity are you OK' because that was normal." She then continued of the alleged perpetrator: "He started talking he sort of like grabbed me and pulled me in, and yeah. "That [sexual assualt] happened, I came out, and obviously was like 'that was wrong.' Advertisement "I went to my grandad and burst into tears and said 'take me home'." Caity then told how the ordeal had sadly strained her relationship with her grandfather. She broke down in tears as she suggested the incident had been where "all the issues with myself had stemmed from." Fans were quick to offer their support and praise Caity's candid approach. Advertisement One wrote: "Wow what a beautiful conversation and big up Caity for your honesty. Talking about these difficult conversations will help so many people." A second put: "This really spoke to me. I related a lot. Well done for speaking up x" A third then posted: "This interview is so powerful! Caity babes you are an inspiration." One then put: "This is everything these conversations are so important and all of the topics were handled with such grace and sensitivity. Advertisement "Thought I was going to have a little cry at my desk but you both created such a safe space!" CAITY BASER'S CHART HITS BRIT popstar Caity Baser has rocketed in popularity in the UK - yet what are her hits? The Brighton-based star, known for tracks including Pretty Boys, began writing songs in lockdown. Her tune Average Student is about how mundane life is and amassed half a million views in less than a day after being uploaded to TikTok. She has already collaborated with Sigala, Mae Muller and Stefflon Don. Her highest-charting hit is Pretty Boys which reached number 26 on the UK chart. Dance Around It, with Joel Corry, reached 61, while X and Y charted at 91. Feels This Good then peaked at 93. Her debut EP was Thanks For Nothing, See You Never SPEAK OUT Previously, Caity told how she funelled her own personal experiences into her songwriting. She admitted to Ticketmaster Discover it had been an evolving process and said: "I think it's because I spent so much of my life beating around the bush and sugar coating everything. "I was afraid I was gonna hurt someone's feelings, afraid to say how I actually felt. Advertisement "Now that I have a platform of people supporting me and telling me that they want me to tell them how I feel, why wouldn't I do it? "So I'm just like, 'Here's what happened, here's how I feel about it!'" 6 Caity told how her alleged abuser was a family friend Credit: YouTube/We Need To Talk 6 Caity was praised by fans for her honesty Credit: AP Advertisement
Daily Mirror
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Pretty Boys singer Caity Baser reveals secret family feud after 'blocking' her mum
The viral TikTok star, 23, also opens up about two harrowing sexual assault experiences as she talks to Paul C. Brunson on his hit podcast We Need To Talk TikTok star Caity Baser has revealed she has a secret family feud that saw her 'block' her mum, who she has not spoken to for TWO YEARS. In a heartbreaking new interview, Caity also details two harrowing experiences of sexual assault - and says she wants to use her platform as a 'voice for Gen Z' to be more outspoken about such difficult subjects. It comes a year after she bounced back from her troll hell as she took a stand against body-shamers. Speaking candidly to Paul C. Brunson on his hit podcast, We Need To Talk, the Pretty Boys singer, 23, explains the deep-rooted reasons that she decided to 'block' her mum: 'On paper, she was great - emotionally, not so much.' The relationship with her mum became strained when Caity turned 17 and asked if she could get a contraception implant, and says the conversation that followed left her feeling 'shamed'. Brit Award nominee Caity recalls: 'She was like: 'Why? Are you a s**g? Are you sleeping around? 'What are the boys going to say about you?' 'I literally remember being in the car being like: 'Oh my God!' 'Sex is a thing you should talk about with your kids. I had to have it with my dad - the birds and the bees conversation. 'My dad was like: 'So this is what happens….' I was laughing the whole way through it, and he was like: 'Right, so who was it then?' 'Because he knew I'd already done it. 'My mum would… just boys, relationships, anything - it was forbidden, taboo.' Caity was brought up on a council estate in Southampton with two big brothers, and says she had a 'great upbringing' and a 'lovely life'. Her brothers and dad bet her £50 that if she posted her first musical video, she would go viral - 'it went viral, but they never got their £50,' she laughs. However, she says she would love to go back in time and tell her mum she needs 'a floor of acceptance' from her mother and 'open communication' with her, 'without being shamed or s*** on'. However, the pair now 'don't talk' - and Caity feels the past two years have been 'peaceful' as a result. 'She's been blocked for like two years,' she explains to the Married at First Sight relationship expert. 'I wouldn't just not talk to her for no reason. It gets to a point where you're like: 'You literally make me so unhappy.' 'And if it was anybody else, I would have gotten rid of you years ago. But you're my mum, it's different.' However, she continues: 'It's her first time living too. And she's allowed to make mistakes. I'm cool with that - it's how you deal with it.' She adds: 'I saw her for the first time at my brother's wedding… a couple of months ago, was the first time I saw her. 'This is so sad, but it's been the most peaceful two years of my life without her… interfering with my brain.' Caity continues: 'I feel like it's just so far gone now - two years. When I saw her at the wedding it was just so weird. She was like: 'Oh look I love you.' And I was like: 'I love you.' 'And she was like: 'Do you though? Really? 'I was like: 'Oh God. I feel like I'm this big again and I'm going: 'Please mummy, love me.' Paul advises Caity to set out her feelings in a letter to attempt to reconcile with her mum. Elsewhere in the conversation, Caity details how her grandad's neighbour sexually assaulted her when she was eight years old, which she has written her track Weight of You about, which she says affected her relationship with her grandad. 'I feel like that's where all of my issues with myself and with relationships stem from,' she says. 'Because like when you're little, you trust an adult to do the right thing and make you feel safe. 'That's such a massive part of who I am, and the way I deal with things.' Caity says her dad 'cries every single time' he hears the song. Caity also reveals that her song Drank Me Dry was written about being raped by a friend she had been seeing romantically when she was 19. 'There were two separate occasions where it happened and I didn't want it to,' she explains. 'The whole song Drank Me Dry is like: 'It's so annoying because I really liked you and I really loved you and you were so much fun. And all it took was one night for you to be so weird and make me feel so uncomfortable and ruin everything. What was the point in that?' Caity recalls how she was 'pretty drunk' at the time, and stipulated that she did not want to have sex without a condom, but sobered up when the man started to have sex with her anyway. She continues: 'I never thought there was anything wrong with what happened to me." It took her a year to discuss the incident with her friend, who told her that what happened was not OK. 'I text him like a week later saying: 'By the way, I just thought you should know that that night… I remember everything that happened. 'I literally wrote it down, sent it to him and he went: 'We're gonna have to agree to disagree on this one, I don't think that's how it happened.' 'I've not spoken to him since. Awful.' As Caity describes how the man had seemed to assume they could have sex as they had done so before, Paul explains: 'This is also part of this ongoing myth that if you have had sex once, that it's consent forever. Absolutely not.' Caity now has aspirations to become an 'advocate' for victims of similar abuse. 'This is a specific topic that I am going to figure out how I can become an advocate around,' she says, adding that she 'loves' being considered to be 'the voice of Gen Z' and wants to use her platform for good. 'I'm personally going to continue to try to do more,' she says. 'Having these conversations are such a strong starts. 'I feel like if I am the voice of a lot of young people, then I will continue to talk about things that aren't often talked about. Those difficult topics. Because it's really important to have someone to look up to and go: 'That happened to me.'' To speak to someone about the issues discussed, contact
Atlantic
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Atlantic
Paris Can Be Intimidating—But It Has Great Butter
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain's account of his international adventures, made him famous—and cemented the stereotype of the Ugly American. One hundred and fifty-eight years later, Caity Weaver followed him to Paris. Caity and I chatted about her hilarious recounting of her trip in The Atlantic, why Paris can feel so intimidating, and the only food she ate there that she actually liked. Isabel Fattal: If you could go back in time and travel to Paris with Mark Twain, would you? Caity Weaver: Could I be assured of a safe return? Isabel: Yes, for imagination's sake. Caity: Absolutely. I would go anywhere with him. One of the things I was struck by when I reread this book before my trip was how unbelievably funny it is. Of course I knew that Mark Twain was 'a humorist,' but there were sections where I was laughing out loud. I think a lot of times when people think of old books, they get an idea in their head of a book that's really stuffy or boring. But this was cracklingly interesting. As a reader, it's rewarding to come across prose like that. As a writer, it's extremely irritating and intimidating. This man was funnier than I'll ever be, and he did it in 1869. Isabel: Do you have a favorite line or passage from the book? Caity: There was a section where he wrote about what he calls 'the Old Travelers'—well-traveled know-it-alls you sometimes encounter abroad: 'They will not let you know anything. They sneer at your most inoffensive suggestions; they laugh unfeelingly at your treasured dreams of foreign lands; they brand the statements of your traveled aunts and uncles as the stupidest absurdities.' Isabel: If you could ask Twain one question about his trip, what would it be? Caity: I would say: 'Sam, Mr. Clemens, did you go to the Louvre? Did you set foot inside the Louvre, really?' I can't prove that he didn't, but I strongly suspect that he didn't. And I feel like he would tell me. Can't kid a kidder. Isabel: You write in your story about the possibility that Twain was ashamed about not understanding the art at the Louvre. Does visiting Paris make a person feel like they need to have a certain level of cultural knowledge? Did you feel intimidated at any point? Caity: I feel like a completely idiotic, disorganized, disheveled crumb bum anywhere, but especially in Paris. It's like walking into a very fancy hotel lobby. Some people are going to be really comfortable there, and some people are going to think, Am I gonna be arrested for walking into this hotel lobby? Paris is so just-so. I find it to be an intimidating place. The combination of not really speaking the language and the city being so beautiful … I felt a little bit on edge there. Isabel: I have one bone to pick with you. I think you were eating wrong in Paris. You didn't eat anything yummy! Caity: I sure didn't. (Well, I had great ramen.) Isabel: What went wrong? Caity: I didn't eat anything I absolutely loved except the butter. I had a crêpe suzette—delicious, and thrilling to have a small fire caused in a restaurant at your behest. I had some croissants. I really was hoping to be able to write, 'Oh my God, I found the best croissant in the world,' and I just don't think I did. But the butter: unbelievably good. I took so many notes for myself trying to describe the color and the taste of the butter. [ Reads through her notes.] I suppose I am an Ugly American, because this is my description of butter: 'creamy; has a scent; smells almost like movie theater butter.' The color was such a rich, deep yellow, almost like how an egg yolk can sometimes tip over into orange. My notes say, 'So fatty and rich.' Next bullet point: 'like if the whole room were made out of pillows.' And then: 'Yes, I realize I am describing a padded cell.' But it was an ultimate richness, softness, like, Just let me roll around in a padded cell. That was how I felt eating this butter. I took dozens of photos in my hotel room trying to capture its exact hue, and failed to. I encountered another group of Americans in my hotel lobby who were trying to figure out a way to transport butter home in their luggage. I involved myself in their conversation, as Americans do: What if the hotel was willing to store it in a freezer, in an insulated lunch bag? We devoted quite a bit of time to solving this problem. Caity: Oh, no, I think they're probably enjoying that butter right now. I wanted to bring a bunch of dried sausage back to the U.S. And then, after I purchased it, I realized that I could get in trouble for flying with it. I ate so much saucisson in my hotel room so fast. I worried such a dense concentration of salt might cause my heart to shut down. I Googled something like: How much dried sausage too much. Here are three Sunday reads from The Atlantic: The Week Ahead Essay A High IQ Makes You an Outsider, Not a Genius By Helen Lewis Who has the highest IQ in history? One answer would be: a 10-year-old girl from Missouri. In 1956, according to lore, she took a version of the Stanford-Binet IQ test and recorded a mental age of 22 years and 10 months, equivalent to an IQ north of 220. (The minimum score needed to get into Mensa is 132 or 148, depending on the test, and the average IQ in the general population is 100.) Her result lay unnoticed for decades, until it turned up in The Guinness Book of World Records, which lauded her as having the highest childhood score ever. Her name, appropriately enough, was Marilyn vos Savant. And she was, by the most common yardstick, a genius. I've been thinking about which people attract the genius label for the past few years, because it's so clearly a political judgment. You can tell what a culture values by who it labels a genius—and also what it is prepared to tolerate. The Renaissance had its great artists. The Romantics lionized androgynous, tubercular poets. Today we are in thrall to tech innovators and brilliant jerks in Silicon Valley. Vos Savant hasn't made any scientific breakthroughs or created a masterpiece. She graduated 178th in her high-school class of 613, according to a 1989 profile in New York magazine. She married at 16, had two children by 19, became a stay-at-home mother, and was divorced in her 20s. She tried to study philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis, but did not graduate. More in Culture Catch Up on The Atlantic When Pete Hegseth's Pentagon tenure started going sideways The travel ban shows that Americans have grown numb. The Trump administration is spending $2 million to figure out whether DEI causes plane crashes. Photo Album Spend time with our photos of the week, which include images of monsoon flooding in India, Dragon Boat Festival races in China, a huge tomato fight in Colombia, and more.
BBC News
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Caity Baser on the importance of vulnerability in new music
Singer Caity Baser says she's excited for her music to "dive into my more emotional side".With earlier hits like Friendly Sex, Why Can't I Have Two and I'm A Problem, she says she was projecting a fun-loving, carefree version of herself that was hiding something much it took an interviewer calling her a "man-eating, confident assassin" to realise "if that's what people think of me then I need to be more open and let people in".In reality, "I'm sad, I'm confused," Caity tells BBC Newsbeat, with her new track Watch That Girl (She's Gonna Say It) reflecting that. "Everyone sees me as confident, like I don't care, but I think that was just to distract from how I was actually feeling."The Brit-nominee says trying to hide from her deeper feelings eventually started to wear off."So for two or three years I was singing, 'it's fine, everything's fine', but then it gets to a point where you're like, maybe I should deal with why I'm so angry." Watch That Girl touches on a difficult childhood, fractious parental relationships and heartbreak, with the 22-year-old singing about trauma that "comes in so many shapes and sizes" which all "fit me perfectly".Caity's calling it a "new chapter" as she turns her attention to writing about more personal topics, having built her brand on being young and carefree. "How I presented myself - crazy, loud, being a nutter, that is who I am but I'm also sensitive," she when she was having a down day, presenting that version of herself could be difficult. "I felt genuinely weird if I was on stage and not like that, it just doesn't make sense."I didn't want to feel like I had to switch it on. I want to express all sorts of emotions rather than just one."While the Southampton singer says her old music "made sense to me at the time... it's important for my fans to see that there's other parts of me and that's OK. There's other parts to them too." Last summer, Caity released her EP Still Learning. Since then, she tells Newsbeat she's learnt quite a lot, mostly just how much she can handle. As she's "matured", she says she found it harder performing some of her older songs. "I can't make a song I don't relate to," she says. "That's why I've done this shift, because I was writing about things that didn't matter to me anymore."Opening up after building a brand on being young and carefree is "scary", Caity says. "I've always been so ashamed of being vulnerable."But at the same time writing her newest project was "the easiest thing I've ever done"."I imagined I was talking to my younger self," she says. "It was really healing for me." 'A Brat time all the time' While fans love seeing a more authentic side to their favourite artists, Brat summer taught us they also love escapism and balancing those things can be challenging, Caity says. "With Brat summer and my old era, it was so much fun going out and wearing these outfits, but there comes a point where you have to go home, leave the party and deal with stuff," she says. "I'm having a Brat time all the time, I'm a crazy girl, but it's just about finding a happy medium."I'm really big at keeping my peace right now and staying at home." Her new chapter isn't just for her music, but also social media where she has hundreds of thousands of followers. "If you look at my page, it looks like I'm having a whale of a time," Caity says. "I am - I love my life and I'm so lucky that I live this life but also it's not always like that."Normally, I'd be like, let's put on a smile and let's just be crazy. "Whereas now if I'm feeling a bit sad, a bit tired or whatever, I'll lean into that emotion and make something with that," she says. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
