TW: mentions of rape, recovery, reporting to the police, and dead end investigations but nothing explicit or graphic.

Luce, one of my very best friends and one of my very favourite people in the world, has just put out her new song and if you’ve ever believed anything I’ve ever said, believe me now when I tell you that you should listen to it. I first heard this song about six years ago and I have been waiting for this moment ever since, waiting for the day that the world gets to hear the first song of this incredible new project that Luce has been working on for so long. But the wait has been worth it because it’s everything I imagined it could be and more. Bearing witness to this creative journey has been a unique, surreal, and deeply special experience and I’m so excited for so many new people to find Luce’s music, for so many new people to make it part of their story in every possible way.

‘Haunted‘ is the first single from Luce’s upcoming album, Conversations With Myself, where she documents and writes her way through her recovery from rape. The song begins softly and with heartbreaking vulnerability as she details the aftermath of reporting her rapist to the police, her word against his, and the devastation of how that should be enough and yet somehow isn’t. Musically and lyrically, the song rises and falls but it never wavers from its core message: “I hope this haunts him.” Not her. Not you. It doesn’t rush and it doesn’t judge; it is a steady sentinel as you make your way into unknown territory. My life experiences are very different to Luce’s, and very different to the one described in the song, but listening to it has still made me cry multiple times and it gives me shivers every time I listen to it, even after all this time. At the end of the day, it isn’t the details that matter: it is the shared lived experience of women, of femme presenting people, that Luce is lending her voice to and doing so with so much care and love.

Luce has also partnered with Rape Crisis England & Wales in the release of ‘Haunted’ and her album to raise awareness, to increase understanding, to platform the voices of those who have experienced sexual violence, and to signpost her listeners to resources and support if they should need it. Here is the statement they’ve made about the partnership: “Rape Crisis England & Wales is a charity working to end sexual violence. Part of that work includes tackling attitudes about sexual violence and abuse, and also believing survivors and helping them get their voices heard. We are very excited to partner with Luce, and are in awe of how she has channelled her experiences into her music. At the time of writing this, we are finalising a written story piece that will feature on our website and be distributed to our wider audience via our newsletter (with 15k+ subscribers) and social media. We believe sharing real stories is a key part of raising awareness of the impact of sexual violence, but also to highlight the recovery and healing that can come after. To further support Luce in her mission to raise awareness, we’re happy for her to use the statistics quoted on our website, and signpost survivors to our national 24/7 Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Line.”

(The single artwork for ‘Haunted,’ photograph by Aniella Weinberger and editing by Luce.)