Singer Aimee Anne Duffy, 35, more commonly known as Duffy, shared a harrowing account of being raped, drugged and held captive for four weeks overseas and in her home, in a lengthy post shared to her Instagram account in April.
The Welsh singer-songwriter, whose debut album, Rockferry, became a bestseller in the UK in 2008, said at the time she was sharing her "dark" story to help "others, whom have suffered the same".
Now she's posted a track, entitled River in the Sky, on Instagram, writing in the caption that it was "for the better days to come".
"Just like a river in the sky, why oh why do we cry?" she sings through the chorus over melodic piano music.
"I pray to fly, burden free," she sings in a verse. "She covers me so faithfully. As I learned to deal with the pain."
When I sing, I feel like I bird ... I owe it to myself to release a body of work someday
The Mercy singer debuted another song called Something Beautiful on BBC Radio 2 in March, a few weeks before she shared her story.
Aside from contributing to the Legend film soundtrack in 2015, this was her first new release since her second studio album, Endlessly, came out 10 years ago.
Duffy first revealed her ordeal in February, but opened up about the details in a post shared to Instagram on Monday, April 6. She confirmed that, on her birthday, she was drugged at a restaurant, then was continually drugged for another four weeks and taken to a foreign country.
Although she didn't detail when exactly the ordeal occurred, Duffy did say she was speaking out after almost 10 years of “hiding”, suggesting the events took place just under a decade ago.
She was at “high risk of suicide” and had spent “almost 10 years completely alone”, she added. But, after seeking professional help from a psychologist, she said she believes she can “leave this decade behind”.
She ended her note with a positive message.
"When I sing, I feel like I bird," she said, adding that she hopes to "release a body of work someday, though I very much doubt I will ever be the person people once knew”.
We only hope there is more to come.
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
