Singer Duffy reveals the tragedy that forced her out of the music business

In 2003, Welsh singer Duffy was riding high on the success of her singles “Rockferry” and “Mercy.” Hitting the number one in the UK, Duffy’s album Rockferry won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album and she took home three Brit Awards for British Breakthrough, Best British Female and Best British Album. Duffy followed up her successful debut with the sophomore album Endlessly in 2010 but failed to capture the same success on the charts. Announcing a brief hiatus to regroup and begin working on her third studio album, Duffy seemed to disappear from public life. Now the singer is revealing the tragic circumstances surrounding her decision to leave the spotlight.Posting on her Instagram account on February 25, Duffy shared the terrifying truth behind her absence, revealing that she was drugged, raped, and held captive for several days.“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,” said Duffy. “I cannot explain it. Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why.”The singer said that she was contacted by a journalist during the summer of 2019 and shared her story publicly for the first time, finding the experience to be overall positive. This pushed Duffy to share her life in a more public way, including discussing the trauma around her abuse and the recovery.“The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it,” writes Duffy. “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.”The singer said that fans may be asking why she didn’t use the experience as fuel for songwriting, something she addressed in her open letter. “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.”Duffy closed her letter by telling fans that she will be sharing more about her trauma in the following weeks by posting clips of an interview.  “If you have any questions I would like to answer them, in the spoken interview, if I can,” writes Duffy, asking her followers to help make this a positive experience. “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.”

 

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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 Duffy 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.

A post shared by @ duffy on Feb 25, 2020 at 10:12am PST

The singer references ‘the last decade’ in her post, but does not specify when the attack took place or whether she knew her attacker(s), which are questions that may be answered in the coming weeks as part of her interviews. Duffy has not released a second statement since posting her initial Instagram message on February 25 but has been receiving an outpouring of support from fans in the comments section.