Duffy makes comeback after 15 years

Singer Duffy has announced a huge career move, planning to perform her first live concert in 15 years, after an alleged sexual assault and kidnapping incident forced her to step away from public life.

The 41-year-old shared on social media that she would be hosting a  “secret intimate gig”, performing new songs for fans on July 5 in London. 

The singer’s comeback has been in the making since 2018 and 2019, reports claim, but nothing has materialised until now. 

The star rose to fame in 2008 with her debut album Rockferry, known for her song Mercy, but just three years later she withdrew from public life.

She shared that the reason for her retreat from the public eye was due being allegedly being kidnapped and raped by an unknown man for weeks.

In a lengthy statement shared on her website in April 2020 she recounted the incident from her perspective.

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Singer returns with new name after 'unfathomable experience'

Duffy said she had been heavily drugged at a restaurant on her birthday, and later in her own home over four weeks. She was also kidnapped and taken to a foreign country, where she was sexually abused in a hotel room.

The singer said she did not report the crime at the time out of fear that the perpetrator would “dispose” of her, though she had since let police know more details.

The incident resulted in a great depression that she recounted thoroughly in the post.  

“When the ordeal happened, it destabilised me so severely, it took years and years, around 90,000 hours. I sometimes didn’t know how I could make it through, it was hard and almost impossible,” she wrote at one point.

“But I got here, as will you.”

She will now be opening up about the “unfathomable experience”, and her recovery in more detail, signing a deal with Disney+ for a feature-length documentary film. 

The project aims to give fans “new, unprecedented access” to Duffy through interviews with her friends, family, and music peers, according to a press release.

If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression, contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust.

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.