American Idol contestant Benjamin Glaze doesn't feel like Katy Perry sexually harassed him when she tricked him into kissing her before his audition on the ABC singing competition. However, he still would have preferred to save his first kiss for someone special.
The 19-year-old told the New York Times on Wednesday that he was "a tad bit uncomfortable" when Perry stole a kiss from him before his performance of "Stadium," a song he wrote himself. His comments led to a slew of news headlines insinuating Glaze was upset by the kiss.
Later that day, Glaze took to Instagram to "clear a few things up for anyone who is confused, concerned, or angry" by his comments. "I am not complaining about the kiss from Katy Perry at all, doing a few news reports and being interviewed by many different reporters has caused some major questions," he wrote.
"The way certain articles are worded is not done by me, and my true intentions are not accurately represented in every article you read about the situation. I am not complaining about the kiss, I am very honored and thankful to have been apart of 'American Idol.' The main purpose for the show is to find stars and new music artist," he continued.
Glaze, who performed on the show's two-night season opener, was rejected by Perry and fellow judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
He didn't blame the situation for his poor performance but said he should have picked a different song. "I do wish I would have performed better in the moment. I should have picked another song to sing and calmed myself down regardless of the kiss," he said.
He added: "I should have been able to perform under pressure. I do not think I was sexually harassed by Katy Perry and I am thankful for the judges comments and critiques. I was uncomfortable in a sense of how I have never been kissed before and was not expecting it."
