Back in the mid 2000s, a soul singer by the name of Duffy took the industry by storm with her huge hit "Mercy" and an equally successful debut album titled Rockferry released in 2008. She would go on to release only one more album, the 2010 follow-up Endlessly, before going on what has now been a 10-year musical hiatus. However, the break was surprisingly due to an extremely heartbreaking sexual assault situation that she had to endure and has finally got the courage to publicly reveal.
Hopping on Instagram two days ago, Duffy wrote an extensive explanation behind her break from making music that sent shockwaves through those who caught wind of her post. "You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this," she started off her caption, following up by writing, "The way I would write it, how I would feel thereafter. Well, not entirely sure why now is the right time, and what it is that feels exciting and liberating for me to talk. I cannot explain it. Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why." She then made the big revelation, adding, "A journalist contacted me, he found a way to reach me and I told him everything this past summer. He was kind and it felt so amazing to finally speak. The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days."
She confirmed that the assault is behind her, writing, "Of course I survived. The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it. But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine."
Some may have questioned as to why she didn't channel the pain into her music as many artists have done in the past, to which she noted,"You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke. In the following weeks I will be posting a spoken interview. If you have any questions I would like to answer them, in the spoken interview, if I can."
She concluded her message with the following: "I have a sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years. You have been friends. I want to thank you for that x Duffy." She also adding a quick closing request to fans and the general public, writing, "Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family. Please support me to make this a positive experience."
As someone who was shaping up to be in the same lane of Adele and the late Amy Winehouse, we can only pray that Duffy can make a full recovery and continue to make beautiful music as she once did. Much respect, Queen.
Read Duffy's original post below: