Warning: This article contains discussion of rape which some readers may find distressing.
Duffy is a well-known name in the music industry for those of you over the age of 20 and you may well be wondering why she disappeared after her award-winning albums in the 2000s.
The Welsh singer, whose real name is Aimée Anne Duffy, appeared in a new video on social media this week in what could be the first time she has been in the public eye since 2015.
Best known for her hits Mercy and Warwick Avenue, the now 40-year-old artist won a Grammy for best pop vocal album back in 2009, however, she seemingly disappeared from the public eye in 2011.
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In 2020, she posted her story on her website, revealing that she had undergone a horrific ordeal after being drugged, raped and held captive by an unknown person.
She goes into detail about how she was drugged at a restaurant where she had been celebrating her birthday and taken to another country, where she says she was kept for four weeks.
Last year, the singer made a return to social media by posting an video on her Instagram, but following that she hasn't been seen on online or made any real public appearances since.
However, a video, which was posted on Emotion HQ's TikTok account, has now seen Duffy thrust back into the limelight, amid rumours of a remixed version of her classic hit 'Mercy'.
She can be seen briefly lip-syncing to the song, while the caption certainly hints at an upcoming release.
"Some of you asked if Duffy was really doing a UK Garage remix with us…" it read.
Fans in the comments went wild after seeing her again, with one person writing: "It's so great to see Duffy back. What a tremendous singer she has always been."
Another added: "Duffy! Where have you been?! We missed you."
In her blog post, the singer revealed she'd moved 'five times in the immediate three years after' as she 'never felt safe' from her kidnapper.
Following her traumatic ordeal, Duffy said she'd taken some time to herself to process what she'd experienced.
"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," she said.
"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."
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 500 222, available 24/7. If you are currently in danger or need urgent medical attention, you should call 999.
Topics: Music, Social Media
James Moorhouse