The woman accused the R'n'B star of abusing her at a Chicago recording studio on Tuesday.

Police say they are still talking to the complainant but would not give further details.

Kelly is awaiting trial on 21 counts of child pornography stemming from a video which allegedly shows the singer having sex with an underage girl.

He faces 12 more counts on similar charges after being arrested in Florida in January.

The 36-year-old has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in June last year.

His representatives called the latest allegations "an outrageous and blatant attempt at character assassination".

Ballad

Despite the sex allegations against Kelly his music career has never looked stronger.

His biggest commercial success to date was the ballad I Believe I Can Fly which was a worldwide hit in 1996.

But experts predict his newly released album Chocolate Factory could go straight to the top of the US album charts this week.

Controversial rapper 50 Cent, himself in trouble with the police after being charged with possessing two loaded guns, has been at the top of the charts for two weeks following massive sales.

But early sales information suggests R Kelly could topple him into second place.

Kelly has also seen success with a track he wrote and produced for teen boy band B2K, called Bump, Bump, Bump, which reached number one in the Billboard chart.

He is also nominated for a Grammy Award for best R'n'B performance. The winners will be announced on Sunday.