DUFFY last night unveiled her music comeback after saying she found it "harder than she thought" to talk about the rape ordeal that kept her from the spotlight.
The 35-year-old singer revealed last month that she was drugged, raped and held captive for days.
And on Thursday night she sent a new song to Radio 2's Jo Whiley, which she played at the close of her show tonight.
The Mercy singer said she is feeling "freer" and wanted people to hear her newest song in a bid to lift spirits during the coronavirus crisis.
Duffy wrote the DJ a message on Instagram, saying: "Hi Jo (Whiley). Hope you are well and keeping safe.
"Wanted to send you this to play on the radio, if you want. You may have read the words I wrote a few weeks back, I do feel freer.
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"Tried to follow up with a spoken interview, but it’s harder than I thought, I will follow up in writing soon.
"Universal Music & no one knows I am doing this. They won’t be mad, they are lovely people."
Jo played the new track, titled Something Beautiful, as her Radio 2 show ended, a little before 9pm.
The haunting ballad sees Duffy sing: "I don't even know why I can't take the first steps to your love.
"It leaves me only dreaming of something beautiful."
Duffy's moving Instagram statement in full
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.
Duffy last month posted a moving Instagram post revealing her ordeal, writing: "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."