Singer Melissa Distances Self From Father Enrique Plancarte Solís, Knights Templar Cartel Leader

La Jornada reports that singer Melissa, the self-proclaimed “grupera Barbie” or “princess of banda” music, distanced herself publically from her father Enrique “El Kike” Plancarte Solís – one of the seven heads of the Knights Templar drug cartel – in a letter posted to her Facebook page on Thursday. The singer had in recent days come under attack from members of the public after citizen militia members in the state of Michoacán claimed she was the daughter of the Knights Templar boss, which she later admitted to be true.

The letter did not specifically address accusations that her musical career had benefitted from the influence – illegitimate or not – of her father and his cartel affiliates, but the singer did defend what she called her “transparent and honest” path to fame as a musician. “I dedicate myself to making music and I do it from the heart,” she wrote. She also responded to criticisms over her video with Cuban singer Julio Camejo, which was shot in the Michoacán Palace of Justice, saying, “I think that the focus of the media and people involved in conflicts in my state should be elsewhere”, adding that her musical career “has nothing to do with this.”

“With respect to my father, naturally I love him,” the letter went on to say, “but just as I’m not one to judge him, nor am I responsible for his actions, and I bear no blame. I’m totally foreign to the situations with which I have been linked. My world, my dream and my passion is music and for a long time I’ve dedicated myself to it along with my studies. My career cannot be tarnished by actions which are not my own.”