Avril Lavigne has responded to the criticism from people who believe the music video for her new song “Hello Kitty” is racist, exclaiming that she loves Japanese culture.

According to Entertainmentwise, Lavigne took to Twitter Thursday morning to respond to the backlash that her video received since being released earlier this week.

“RACIST??? LOLOLOL!!! I love Japanese culture and I spend half of my time in Japan. I flew to Tokyo to shoot this video……specifically for my Japanese fans, WITH my Japanese label, Japanese choreographers AND a Japanese director IN Japan,” the 29-year-old Canadian singer wrote.

The video shows Lavigne and four female Japanese dancers in a sweet shop, on the streets, and in a sushi restaurant. Lavigne is seen eating sushi, drinking sake, and walking down the street taking pictures and waving to fans.

The video immediately received criticism that it was racist towards Japanese people and an exploitation of Japanese culture, reports US Magazine. Billboard made a strong headline when they bashed the video, exclaiming that it was a “train wreck” and a form of “Japanese fetishization”. The video was removed from YouTube, but has since been put back up.

“Hello Kitty” is the fourth single off of Lavigne’s self-titled 2013 album.