R KELLY has been charged with underage prostitution over claims he paid a 17-year-old girl to engage in sex acts in a hotel room.

But who are his two girlfriends who continue to support him, and what have they said about his charges? Here's the latest.

6 Joycelyn Savage, 23, on the left and Azriel Clary, 21, on the right Credit: TMZ

Who are R Kelly's girlfriends?

Jocelyn Savage, 23, moved to Chicago with R Kelly in order to pursue a career in music at the age of 17.

She last had contact with her family when she was 19, since cutting off all ties with them.

Azriel's father, Angelo Clary, praised Lifetime for creating the docu-series Surviving R Kelly, stating: "I love Lifetime for the platform they gave us to give awareness to bring this to an end."

However, Angelo went on to say: "But they [Lifetime] have no clue how much we went through. They have no clue what I did to help my family."

According to Azriel's parents, R Kelly had promised to boost her music career.

When she turned 18, she stopped contacting them and they believe she was then entangled in the "sex cult" allegedly run by R Kelly.

Azriel Clary, 21, and Jocelyn are now living in Kelly's apartment in the Trump Tower in New York.

On July 15, 2019, TMZ posted a video recorded by the two women in which they deny being evicted from the flat.

In the video, Azriel says: "We're here at the Trump and we've been here for years. We move freely, we come and go freely. We actually just stepped out this morning."

She added: "Do not believe everything that you hear."

A tearful Angelo Clary told DailyMailTV on July 18 that he would "never give up" until he "destroys" Kelly.

He added: "My daughter knows she can rebel to this level because she has got a loving father, and when she is finished with this... I am there to support her."

Speaking to TMZ back in 2017 on a video Skype call, Savage denied her family's claims that she was part of a "sex cult".

She said: "I’m 21, I’m about to be 22. I mainly want to say that I’m in a happy place with my life and I’m not being brainwashed or anything like that.

“It’s gotten to the point where it’s definitely gotten out of hand. I just want everybody to know—my parents and everybody in the world—I’m totally fine and I’m happy where I’m at. Everything is okay with me.”

6 R Kelly, shown outside a Chicago court, faces multiple charges of sexual misconduct Credit: Getty Images - Getty

Who is R Kelly?

R Kelly, 52, was born on January 8, 1967.

The singer's real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly and he grew up in Chicago with his single mother, Joanne.

He got his breakthrough in 1989 when he took part in TV talent show Big Break, winning the $100,000 prize and going on to release his first album in 1992.

Since releasing his debut album, Born In The 90s, which was co-credited with Public Announcement, R. Kelly has released a further 11 solo studio albums.

His biggest hits include She's Got That Vibe, Bump N' Grind, I Believe I Can Fly and Ignition (Remix).

He has an estimated net worth of £790,680 - equivalent to roughly $1million - but had he not experienced numerous lawsuits over the years it is likely that the singer would be worth a lot more today.

He has sold 100 million records worldwide and has been nicknamed the King of R&B.

R Kelly also set up his own record label - Rockland Records - in 1998.

6 Kelly and his associates would reportedly pick out women and girls at concerts and arrange for them to meet him Credit: AFP or licensors

What are the latest charges against Kelly?

In August 2019, R Kelly was charged with prostitution over claims he paid a 17-year-old girl $200 to dance naked and engage in sex acts in a hotel room.

Attorney Mike Freeman said the girl was trying to get an autograph from Kelly, and that the R&B performer gave her his phone number after a concert in Minneapolis, US, in 2001.

When the girl called the number, she was invited to a hotel where Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was staying.

This is the latest in a string of allegations against Kelly, who was charged with ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse earlier this year.

The I Believe I Can Fly singer is accused of soliciting the girl.

He was also arrested on child pornography and federal sex trafficking charges after former enablers and ex-employees allegedly turned on him.

6 Kelly's girlfriends Joycelyn Savage, left, and Azriel Clary turned up at the Chicago courtroom Credit: AP:Associated Press

What have his girlfriends said about the charges?

Joycelyn and Azriel are yet to speak about the charges.

The pair reportedly lived with the R&B star at his apartment in Chicago.

They attended court in Chicago at his hearing in July 2019.

They are said to have sat in the court house holding hands as R Kelly's bond was being set by the judge on February 23, 2019.

Gerald Griggs, a lawyer acting on behalf of Savage's family, has now said his clients are concerned the two women may be planning to kill themselves if it becomes clear the singer is not coming back, TMZ reported.

He added that Savage's parents, who claim the singer brainwashed their daughter, are "ready to reunite" and move on from "whatever happened in the past", and that counsellors were on hand to help her.

The parents of Azriel Clary do not believe the women have made a suicide pact.

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What other charges is R Kelly facing?

In February 2019, R Kelly was charged with ten counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

If convicted he faces three to seven years on each count, said Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly Foxx.

Then in May 2019 it was revealed he has been charged with 11 new counts of sex assault against a teen victim.

The Chicago Sun Times claims the charges carry a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

On July 12, 2019, Kelly was arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking by New York cops - while still facing sexual abuse charges in Chicago.

An indictment filed in federal court in Brooklyn in July accuses Kelly of running a criminal scheme in which he recruited women and underage girls to have sex with him.

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He is accused of isolating them and often controlling what they ate and when they went to the bathroom.

Kelly was charged separately in Chicago with having sexual contact with five minors and recording sexually explicit videos of some of them.

He is also accused of using threats and bribes to silence his alleged victims.

The performer has denied all abuse allegations for decades.