Singer Ryan Adams hits back against accusations of inappropriate behaviour

The artist apologised to 'anyone he had ever hurt', after a number of women accused him of sexual misconduct and emotional manipulation

Ryan Adams has been accused of emotionally abusing a number of women in a 'New York Times' report. AP

Rock singer Ryan Adams has called a New York Times article about him "upsettingly inaccurate" but said he was "not a perfect man" and apologised to anyone he had hurt.

Adams, 44, was responding on Twitter on Wednesday to a New York Times story in which seven women, including his ex-wife actress Mandy Moore, accused him of manipulative behaviour and of pursuing female artists for sex.

One of the women said he had exchanged sexually explicit messages online with her when she was aged 15 and 16.

"I am not a perfect man and I have made many mistakes. To anyone I have ever hurt, however unintentionally, I apologise deeply and unreservedly," Adams tweeted.

"But the picture that this article paints is upsettingly inaccurate. Some of its details are misrepresented; some are exaggerated; some are outright false. I would never have inappropriate interactions with someone I thought was underage. Period," the American singer-songwriter added.

Andrew Brettler, an attorney for Adams, told the newspaper that the singer "unequivocally denies that he ever engaged in inappropriate online sexual communications with someone he knew was underage".

Asked for further comment, Brettler referred Reuters to Adams's statement on Twitter.

Adams launched his music career with the band Whiskeytown and made his solo debut in 2000 with the album Heartbreaker. Also a songwriter and record producer, he has worked with some of the industry's big names, including John Mayer, Willie Nelson and Norah Jones.

Adams is the latest of dozens of men to be accused of inappropriate behavior in the past 18 months as the #MeToo movement has spread beyond Hollywood and into the music industry, politics and corporate boardrooms.

This is Us actress and singer Moore, who married Adams in 2009, told the New York Times that "music was a point of control for him".

Moore said that during their marriage Adams diminished her talents as a singer and she accused him of controlling behavior. Their divorce was finalised in 2016.