Becky Hill kept her sexual assault to herself for eight years because she thought no one would believe her.
The 30-year-old singer revealed she was violated by a male friend when she was 21, and has now opened up about her “healing” experience in her new single ‘True Colours’, which she produced with 37-year-old musician Self Esteem – whose real name is Rebecca Taylor.
During an interview with Glamour UK, she said: “I’ve always classed myself as a strong b****.
“I like to think I can take a lot of s***, but with that, it felt like something had left me that will never come back.
“I’ll never get that bit back of me. That moment will stay with me for the rest of my life.”
After she was assaulted, the ‘Lose Control’ chart-topper admitted she tried to “push it under the carpet”, but ultimately decided to report the crime after it had been “eating away” at her for eight years.
Becky explained she wanted to tell her story because she felt it could be “powerful” for her future children to hear if they were ever involved in a similar situation.
She said: “With rape and sexual assault, the numbers on reporting are so low that I wanted to be able to sit with my future children and if, God forbid, the same happens to them, say, ‘You know what? When I was your age, I went to the police and reported it, and it was really powerful for me.'”
The ‘Never Be Alone’ hitmaker explained she wanted the track to feel “angry” instead of reflecting the grief she went through.
She said: “I didn’t want it to come across sad, or vulnerable. I wanted it to be angry. I wanted to make a real angry bop.”
The singer said she felt “let down by the education system” because she was “never taught” about the subject matter.
Still, Becky hopes her transparency over her sexual assault will help to ensure “the conversation stays open”.
She shared: “I’m hoping that things will begin to change a bit, and people will be able to talk about this stuff more openly without a degree of shame on themselves, and with the onus back on the perpetrators.”