Author of Surviving the Pied Piper

Lisa VanAllen

Lisa VanAllen was 17 years old when she first met R. Kelly on the set of one of his music videos. After sitting by the poolside, talking, R. Kelly wanted to meet her in private in his tour bus, where the two engaged in their first sexual encounter. Shortly after, Kelly convinced a head-strong but naïve Lisa to move to Chicago to be with him full-time. Their relationship heavily intensified, in which she was being videotaped having a threesome with R. Kelly and a girl she believed was 16 years old at the time. Later on, Lisa discovered the girl was actually just 14 years old. Though Lisa stayed in the relationship on and off for 9 years, she later decided to be a witness for the prosecution against R. Kelly in 2008 for his child pornography case.  Lisa has said, she was the ME before #METOO, and was not believed and felt like she was the one on trial.  That has finally changed with Surviving R. Kelly.  As a survivor of physical and emotional abuse, she is centered on using her platform as a vessel to make a change and positive difference in this world by advocating for abuse victims.  Lisa recently released her memoir, Surviving the Pied Piper and is currently working on her TV project Survivors Retreat.