Singer Timothy Heller posted a series of Tweets on Monday in which she claims that her “former best friend” and The Voice contestant Melanie Martinez raped her.

When I wrote this story about my assault, I initially wasn’t going to make the abuser. But I think it’s important for you all to know this is about Melanie Martinez pic.twitter.com/4PQ5oNI2s9 — Timothy Heller (@timethyheller) December 4, 2017

Heller, 24, said that Martinez, 22, mentally and physically manipulated her and took advantage of their friendship. She says that one night during a sleepover, Martinez asked if she would have sex with her. Heller says she was “obviously uncomfortable”, and repeatedly told Martinez “no”. The following night, Heller writes, the same conversation came up. Heller says that Martinez performed oral sex on her and proceeded to “penetrate [her] with a sex toy without being asked.” She does not specify when the alleged assault occurred.

Heller finishes by writing, “Girls can rape girls. Best friends can rape best friends. Friendship does not equal consent. Silence doesn’t equal consent. I wish it wasn’t so hard for me to convince myself of these things.”

Read on to learn more about Timothy Heller.

1. She Claims Melanie Martinez Was Her Best Friend & Penetrated Her Without Consent

In her tweets, Heller claims that Melanie Martinez was her best friend at the time of the alleged incident. She says that she felt extremely awkward about the two-night interaction, during which Martinez repeatedly asked if she could have sex with Heller. “It seemed strange, but she was my best friend. I said no, and I thought we could move on.”

Heller writes that on the second night of the supposed interaction, she was exhausted. “[Martinez] convinced me to smoke weed, and since I have a hard time saying no to her, I complied… As I lay praying to fall asleep, she began touching my arm. I allowed this to happen… I got increasingly uncomfortable. I started giggling, saying that it tickled. I in no way wanted to make this a sexual situation.” Heller says that eventually, Martinez began touching her. “I never said yes. I said no, repeatedly. But she used her power over me and broke me down. Just so there’s no confusion, I was molested by my best friend.”

“I have kept this secret for years, convincing myself that it wasn’t a big deal and I wasn’t hurt by it,” Heller writes. “The thought of accepting that my best friend raped me seems insane. Even typing that doesn’t feel real to me. … It’s hard to say someone you loved rape you. Someone you STILL love. The thought of writing this and having the world see it terrifies me.”

Heller says that she and Martinez have fallen out of touch and are no longer friends. “Our friendship ended because she decided she didn’t have time for me anymore. To worry about me anymore. She cared too much about me, it was holding her back.”

2. She Released Her Solo Debut in October

Sleep – Timothy HellerSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6HukJJI1PDIY4xYA6utTQv Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/timothyheller iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sleep/id1297222514?i=1297222517 2017-10-18T20:12:16.000Z

In October, Heller released her solo debut, “Sleep”. In their review of the song, Atwood Magazine writes, “Haunting and dreamy, ‘Sleep’ engulfs us in a controlled chaos. Tension and release come hand in hand as Heller croons sweet, crisp melodies over stark guitars and ambient synth beds.”

Asked what inspired the song, Heller says that she actually wrote it about her best friend’s boyfriend. “My best friend’s boyfriend had just cheated on her. I wrote this song starting from his perspective, trying to win her back. My friend’s reaction when she was opening up to me when this happened was that she just wanted to sleep it away. So the chorus is from her perspective.”

3. She Has Discussed Struggling with Mental Illness

VideoVideo related to timothy heller: 5 fast facts you need to know 2017-12-04T21:47:23-05:00

In her interview with Atwood Magazine about her single, Heller opens up about her experience with mental illness and being one-half of the band Dresses.

“My experience in Dresses was a lot darker than anyone let on: I was struggling a lot with mental illness, and had an extremely unsupportive team around me. I was subject to a lot of mental abuse, but kept around because they needed my voice for the band… I was so defeated. But a lot of good things came out of my year without making music: I focused more on my mental health than I ever have in my life.”

In her interview, she also reveals that she is currently dating a man named Mikey, who Heller says produces music. Heller touches on her relationship with Mikey, saying, “… I showed Mikey a couple of other songs I’ve written and we’ve started working on them. It’s really amazing having him here and being an amazing producer, because while I continue to doubt myself on things I’ve written, he’s super patient with me and brings my songs to life…”

Heller writes about having “inner turmoil” in her tweets, as well. She says that when Martinez took her in, she felt like she “owed her my life”. “I had my own problems, but if I could focus on her life, I could put off dealing with my own inner turmoil for just a bit longer. Some of her fans became my fans, but their loyalty never strayed from her. ”

4. She Was a Member of the Band ‘Dresses’

Heller is a former member of the band Dresses. She performed vocals for the group, along with male vocalist and musician Jared Ryan Maldonado.

In 2014, Dresses performed with Martinez in a show for all ages at The High Watt in Nashville.

Speaking to The Super Splice, Timothy reveals that she was in musicals in high schools, as well as the high school band.

The interviewer writes of Timothy and her bandmate, “I was delighted to find that Timothy and Jared are not only talented and hip but also cool without being aloof; not a bit of pretense there. They were courteous, present, enthusiastic and were good sports as we shot the shit over coffee and tea for a bit and the two indulged us with a photo shoot that led ’em all over the industrial district of Portland near Produce Row.”

5. Melanie Martinez Said Heller ‘Never Said No to What We Chose to Do Together’

Melanie Martinez – Mad Hatter (Official Music Video)Melanie Martinez – Mad Hatter (Official Music Video) K-12 available now: http://melanie.lnk.to/K-12ID Watch K-12: http://melanie.lnk.to/K-12ID/youtube See Melanie on tour: https://melanie.lnk.to/TourID Subscribe for more official content from Melanie Martinez: https://melanie.lnk.to/MMsubscribe ——————————— Written, Directed & Conceived by: Melanie Martinez Executive Producer: Jennifer Goodridge Executive Producer: Wes Teshome Produced by: Jennifer Goodridge Produced by: Tyler Zelinsky Associate Producer:… 2017-09-23T16:00:33.000Z

In a statement posted to Twitter late Monday, Melanie Martinez said, “I am horrified and saddened by the statements and story told tonight by Timothy Heller. What she and I shared was a close friendship for a period of time. We came into each other’s lives as we were both starting our careers as artists, and we tried to help each other. We both had pain in dealing with our individual demons and the new paths we were forging, but I truly felt we were trying to life each other up. She never said no to what we chose to do together. And although we parted ways, I am sending her love and light always.

Martinez, 22, got her start in 2012 after appearing on The Voice. She made it to the final six before being eliminated. Not long after eliminations, Martinez released the song “Dollhouse”, which was certified platinum by the RIAA. The song’s success led to her being signed by Atlantic Records.

In 2015, Martinez’s debut studio album, Cry Baby, debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA. Martinez is planning to release her second studio album in January.

On Monday night, Martinez’s name was trending on Twitter with over 257K mentions. Fans, clearly desperate for a response from Martinez, have openly expressed their feelings about Heller’s accusations. One fan wrote, “Just found out the Melanie Martinez sexually assaulted someone. I will no longer support her. Rape is rape regardless of whether the rapist is a man or women. Period.” Another wrote, “We need to hear Melanie Martinez’s side of the story. Why? She’s going to deny it. Why would she admit it? We need to start believing the victim until the accused can prove they’re innocent, not the other way around fam.”