Duffy Explains Years-Long Absence, Reveals She Was “Raped, Drugged And Held Captive”
Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images
The Welsh pop singer Duffy has not released new music in 10 years. Today she shared some devastating news about why. In a message posted to Instagram, the artist born Aimee Anne Duffy explained that she took a long hiatus from music after being drugged, raped, and held captive for several days.
“The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days,” Duffy wrote. “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.”
Duffy went on to explain that she did not want to release new music while recovering from the trauma: “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.”
According to Duffy’s post, she shared her story with a journalist last summer after he tracked her down. “He was kind and it felt so amazing to finally speak,” she wrote. She also said she’ll be answering fan questions in a spoken interview a few weeks from now. She has not yet announced plans to release music again, but last December she posted the hashtag #2020, leading some fans to speculate new material was on the way.
Duffy’s 2008 debut album Rockferry debuted at #1 in the UK, sold 7 million copies worldwide, and spun off the UK #1 hit single “Mercy,” which made her the first Welsh woman to top the British singles chart in 25 years. “Mercy” peaked at #27 in the US. Duffy’s most recent album was 2010’s Endlessly, which featured contributions from Albert Hammond Sr. and the Roots.
Duffy’s full message is viewable below.
You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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
DuffyPlease 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.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence and needs to talk, you can reach out to RAINN’s 24/7 hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or chat online.
