Duffy has been through a terrible ordeal. The Welsh pop singer born Aimee Anne Duffy emerged as a star in the late 2000s, singing retro soul-infused pop alongside the likes of Amy Winehouse and Adele, but in the 2010s, she vanished from the music industry. In 2020, she revealed why in a social media message: “The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days.” She later elaborated on her experience in an essay.
Six years have passed since then, and it seems Duffy (pictured above in 2011) is now on the comeback trail. Earlier this year she announced a forthcoming documentary, and she recently was spotted in public at a café in Wales. Now, 15 years after her last concert, she has returned to the stage.
In 2013, Duffy appeared at New York’s Beacon Theatre to cover Édith Piaf at the Francofolies de New York Festival, but she hadn’t performed a full concert since 2011 when she returned to the stage Sunday at London’s Hoxton Hall. Announcing the gig on her Instagram story last month, Duffy wrote:
I’m doing a secret intimate gig in London on the 5th July, next month, and I would love nothing more than for some of you to attend. Please visit the link below and leave your details if you want to come. It’s only small capacity so we can only select a few, but really looking forward to it, I will sing some new songs.
No setlist, images, or video have yet emerged, but at least one person on Twitter claims to have been there, reporting that no filming was allowed and the show will be featured in her documentary. I imagine it was a deeply emotional experience for performer and audience alike.
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