Duffy Tells Fans Why She 'Disappeared'

Duffy, the singer best known for her 2008 hit “Mercy,” posted a black and white photo of herself to her Instagram this afternoon—the only photo currently on her account. Underneath the photo is a long post explaining the singer’s absence from the music industry since the release of her sophomore album in 2011. “I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken?” she wrote, adding that she had been “raped and drugged and held captive over some days.” Duffy goes on to explain that she is coming forward now in anticipation of an interview detailing what happened to her, which will be released in the coming weeks. “A journalist contacted me…he was kind and it felt so amazing to finally speak,” she wrote in her statement.

Duffy goes on to ask for privacy and support, “I do not want any intrusion to my family,” she concludes. Duffy’s choice to return to the public eye may be part of a healing process, but not every person—celebrity or not—who is actively recovering from trauma should be forced to do the same.