Five Queensland songwriters have united for 'You Can't Take Me', a music project offering solace to victims of sexual violence.
The five songwriters: Deb Suckling, Melissa J Evans, Kendall Layt, Kali Blunt, Ilona Harker (all of who have experienced sexual violence) have banded together with visual artist Marsellus Wallace to share their stories.
With the assistance of counsellor Jan Logan, the group have created the 'You Can't Take Me' album featuring songs to highlight the extent of sexual violence in our diverse communities.
"This project, while being hugely confronting for each of us involved in reliving our experiences, is also so deeply important," Project Manager and songwriter Deb Suckling says.
"The bravery shown by Kendall, Melissa, Carly, Ilona and Kali to be a part of this is so inspiring and we really hope to inspire others to tell their stories and hopefully this might help others in their journey and ultimately in their recovery.
"I have also had to confront my own past and with the support of these extraordinary artists – I have finally been able to tell my own story."
They also looked at how music and creation can assist in recovery and how speaking up about trauma can be the most important step in the road to recovery and taking back ownership of ourselves, our bodies and our minds.
Recorded over just two days – with the support of engineer Jeff Lovejoy and mastering by Paul Blakey – the group have created an album that is truly raw in all its musical truth. A video for the title track has also been produced. The album is available for free streaming, with donations encouraged to Women’s Legal Service.
The statistics paint a damning picture about sexual violence in Australia, with 1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men having experienced sexual violence, sexual assault, or threats from the age of 15.
Recent statistics have shown that almost every 8 minutes a child from the age of 5–15 is sexually assaulted – sometimes leading to a lifetime of mental health, substance abuse and other ongoing issues.
