A fresh statement from R&B singer Sparkle is adding new context to the ongoing discussion around the R. Kelly case and her niece Reshona Landfair’s recently released memoir.
Sparkle, whose real name is Stephanie Edwards, posted a written message on Instagram pushing back against claims that she had any involvement in facilitating Landfair’s relationship with Kelly.
The Chicago singer, who rose to prominence in the late ’90s as R. Kelly’s protégé and collaborator on the hit “Be Careful,” directly rejected allegations of “grooming.”
“I am relieved that Reshona is finally free to speak her truth and begin her healing journey,” Sparkle wrote at the opening of her post. “In addition to justice, I have always wanted healing and peace for her.”
She then addressed the claims head-on, writing, “Any suggestion that I groomed, facilitated, or enabled harm to my niece is untrue and deeply painful, especially given my documented actions at the time and throughout.”
Sparkle went on to detail the actions she says she took when concerns first emerged. “When I was informed her parents were allowing Reshona to spend unchaperoned time with R. Kelly, I immediately contacted DCFS,” she said. “When the tape surfaced and the state brought charges against him in 2008, I cooperated fully and testified under oath, despite immense pressure not to do so.”
She added, “Protecting my niece from abuse and telling the truth mattered more to me than money and my career.”
Sparkle has long been closely tied to the case. In the early 2000s, she identified Landfair as the teenager seen in the now-notorious “pee tape” and later testified during Kelly’s 2008 trial. Although Kelly was acquitted at the time, he was later convicted in federal trials in 2021 and 2022.
Her statement comes as Landfair publicly shares her story for the first time through her memoir, Who’s Watching Shorty?, along with a series of interviews discussing her experience.
In those conversations, Landfair explains how Kelly entered her family’s life through industry connections and describes the grooming, isolation, and control she says followed.
“There’s no job that I can apply for where this isn’t the forefront of my life,” Landfair said in a recent interview. “Once I realized that I didn’t have peace or privacy [by hiding], I had to take ownership.”
She also spoke about reclaiming her sense of self, saying, “I just really wanted to capture the fact that I was a human being… I was not just the ‘R. Kelly girl.’”
Sparkle concluded her post by wishing her niece “continued healing and peace,” describing the memoir as “the beginning of Reshona’s lengthy deprogramming journey.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or abuse, confidential support is available. Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org for help.
