Kate Miller-Heidke reveals she was sexually abused as a child | Music

Publish date: 2024-09-24
Music This article is more than 1 year old

Kate Miller-Heidke reveals she was sexually abused as a child

This article is more than 1 year old

Singer says she was abused by her great-grandfather and that she ‘wasn’t the first or the last’

Musician Kate Miller-Heidke has revealed that she was sexually abused as a child by her great-grandfather, saying she had felt inspired by activists Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins and musician Jaguar Jonze to share her story with the world.

In a statement published on Thursday morning, Miller-Heidke wrote of the abuse while announcing a reissue of her recent song You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore as a duet with Jonze, an outspoken campaigner against sexual misconduct.

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“I usually say this song is about dancing on the grave of an arsehole,” Miller-Heidke wrote. “My latest album Child in Reverse is about childhood. One thing that happened to me when I was a very young child (from the ages of 4-6) was that I was sexually abused by my great grandfather Archibald Barnes. He was a paedophile and a serial offender. I wasn’t the first or the last. (Although obviously my family didn’t know it at the time, and didn’t find out until some years later.)

“This song is about how I felt when he died. Ultimately it’s a really empowering song to sing.”

The 40-year-old singer said she felt she could now speak out because of “the examples of Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins”, but called Jonze “the most important inspiration”. Miller-Heidke said she spoke to Jonze the morning she wrote You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore, which was first released in October but has now been remixed to become a duet between the two women.

“[Jonze] described some very shocking things that happened to her as a child, and I felt very connected to her, and full of admiration for her resilience too – that’s when the song title You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore popped into my head,” Miller-Heidke wrote, calling it “one of the most powerful songs I’ve written”.

Jonze, real name Deena Lynch, said in a statement on Thursday morning that she at first did not know the song was based on the conversation they’d had years before.

“Back then I had no platform and less power, so to have had this impact on Kate really is testament to the momentum that is created when we speak out and share our stories and experiences,” she said.

“I am honoured she invited me to sing and create a reworked version of the song alongside my band. It was a precious opportunity for us both to channel our pain, resilience and triumphs through what we love – music, art and honest storytelling.

“I stand with Kate for being so strong and finding her voice. It’s my hope that by sharing these experiences, others will be encouraged to speak out, so that we can continue breaking down walls as survivors and make a stand that we will no longer tolerate abuse any more.”

Jonze has previously publicly alleged that she was sexually assaulted in 2019, and has been a leading voice of Australia’s #metoo movement.

In the song, Miller-Heidke sings: “We’re so good at hiding bruises / We’re so good at feeling shame / When you’re tiny, no one listens / Nobody will name the name.”

“I cried a bit,” she said of writing You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore. “I had never written directly about this before, and it was cathartic.”

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