Lindsay Ell revealed she is a survivor of sexual assault.
With the release of new song, “make you,” Lindsay is publicly addressing—for the first time—being a survivor of sexual violence. The deeply personal song explores her life after being raped as a 13-year-old.
The new song is featured on Lindsay’s upcoming concept album, heart theory (Aug. 14). Produced by Dann Huff, heart theory is comprised of 12 tracks that journey through each stage of grief: shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, testing and acceptance. The album title and song titles have been stylize in lowercase.
Penned by Lindsay and Brandy Clark, “make you” is the first song in the acceptance stage, a reflection of Lindsay’s determination to use her platform to help other sexual trauma survivors.
“Three years ago at a visit to help launch the music program at Youth For Tomorrow, I sat down in a conference room with a few girls aged 12 to 18 who had all been victims of rape or sex trafficking,” says Lindsay. “I shared my story, they shared their stories, and I was so inspired. Walking out of that room that day I knew the time had come to share my story more widely, otherwise I would be denying myself an opportunity to connect and help other girls or boys, like those in that room. It’s a very difficult thing to do, but an incredibly necessary thing to talk about. We don’t realize how much this stuff is happening in our own community, and that is partly due to not discussing it.”
In conjunction with the release of “make you,” Lindsay has launched the Make You Movement, a charitable fund that endeavors “to help organizations that support at-risk youth, domestic abuse and sexual assault survivors by providing funds on an as-needed basis.” Lindsay will donate proceeds from “make you” to the Make You Movement.
“I believe music has the power to heal,” says Lindsay. “The reason I decided to share my story at this point in my life is that I want it to be able to help a lot of people; and the best way to help people is to not only raise my voice, but to raise money in an effort to raise awareness and understanding. I want to support programs that help girls and boys who may have been victims and support safety and prevention programs that aim to keep potential victims safe. Finally, writing ‘make you’ has given me the courage to not let my past decide my future, so I am taking action in order to do just that. My hope is that my actions and song will inspire the same in others.”
Listen to “make you” below.
