August 17–18, 2025 — Spanish-American singer-songwriter Victoria Canal has come forward with a harrowing Instagram post detailing how she was groomed and sexually abused by a “very powerful, decades-older man” in the music industry when she was just 19. The abuse, which she says lasted for over a year, profoundly affected her emotional and professional life throughout her 20s.
Canal described in her vulnerable statement that she was manipulated into silence with threats that speaking out would end her career before it even began. She wrote that only after a recent assault by a stranger triggered repressed memories did she begin to fully grasp the impact of the earlier abuse. Choosing to share her story on her 27th birthday, Canal said it marked a powerful moment of reclaiming her agency and beginning the healing process.
Though she declined to name the alleged abuser—citing fear of retaliation—she painted a chilling portrait of someone publicly seen as principled and familial but hidden behind a protective network of enablers. Canal emphasized that the person she named is not among her current mentors, whom she credited with providing genuine support and healing since signing to a major label in 2022.
In a separate coverage, Canal was also noted for revealing how she was once discovered via social media and invited into the industry by this individual. She has since been forced to confront the emotional toll of grooming, relying on therapy, psychedelic treatments, and creative expression to reclaim her identity.