DJ Flume says video showing him perform sex act on girlfriend at Burning Man festival was a joke
DJ Flume has finally broken his silence on the Burning Man controversy after a video of him appearing to perform a sex act on stage during the festival went viral. The 27-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday, September 5, to address the controversial footage from the festival, writing "It was a joke (sorry mum)" while appearing to mock the incident by posing with a peach in his mouth, the Daily Mail reported.
American socialite Paris Hilton found the post hilarious, commenting with an emoticon of a cat crying with laughter and a peach next to it. For those who don't know, the peach emoticon is a reference to buttocks in modern pop culture.
Meanwhile, Australian DJ Alison Wonderland called the post "iconic", and artist Slumberjack chimed in with another light-hearted take. "Listen to the man. Eat your fruits. Stay healthy," he wrote.
Flume grabbed international attention on Tuesday after he was caught on camera indulging in the x-rated act, but only recently responded to the furor. The renowned Electronic Dance Music (EDM) artist was encouraged by a fan to partake in the stunt after she held up a sign asking "Does Flume even eat a**?" and later told him to "prove it."
The musician was then seen in the clip, shared by his alleged girlfriend Paige Elkington on Monday, seemingly performing oral sex on stage for a couple of seconds before stepping back and acknowledging the audience's cheers.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday, Elkington's friend Ambor Mercy said "it was Paige" in the video and not a fan as previously assumed. Mercy, who made the sign urging Flume to "eat a**", was reportedly standing in close proximity to the DJ booth and said nothing sexual happened.
"It's sad to me that people are making it out to be some crazy sex act when he just put his face in [the woman's] bottom," she explained. "There was consent from her and she was wearing underwear so it's not like he actually [performed the sex act] on stage. It was just in good Burning Man fun."
"He's a really awesome guy," she added. "I wish him the best and I really hope that this doesn't negatively affect him, that would make me really bummed."
Flume shot to fame in Australia after his single Possum first played on Triple J Unearthed radio back in 2011.
Two years later, he went international after winning four ARIA Music Awards for Best Male Artist, Breakthrough Artist, Best Dance Release and Producer of the Year. In 2017, he won a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album after his second studio album 'Skin' topped major charts across the globe.