It seems that each day even more sickening misogyny is exposed in the media. However increasingly women are fighting back and refusing to keep their experiences hidden away. They are taking back the power and the control and in so, they are defining themselves as survivors not victims.
The Swedish Electro singer, Jenny Wilson is one of these brave women. Jenny’s new album Exorcism, to be released on 20th April, details her own experience of sexual assault. As its title suggests, the uncompromisingly honest album captures Wilson attempting to divest herself of the trauma of the attack and begin recovery.
Geared around her own Prophet 6 analogue synthesiser, the impetus of Exorsism to bear witness to a horrifying ordeal with integrity and grace is borne out with Rapin*, the first track to emerge from the new record. The track arrives alongside an equally uncompromising animated film, created by Swedish artist Gustaf Holtenäs.
Speaking about the film, Jenny says; “I wanted to make something awfully direct. Something you just can’t hide from or misunderstand. This song demanded a brutal video, and it had to be done in a beautiful animated style to reach the full power of the story.”
Warning, viewer discretion is advised. The lyrics and imagery are as brutal as Jenny suggests
Jenny has released the following statement about her experience, alongside the new animation.
“This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done. In so many ways. At first, I actually didn’t know if I even wanted to go on with music anymore. Then, something terrible happened to me.
I ended up at a crossroads. Either silent – or speaking. It was not an easy choice. I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t manage to talk.
But I had to talk.
Not to bring justice or to take revenge. Nothing is ever as easy as it seems. I wanted to take back what I’d lost. I had to get rid of what was hurting me”
Jenny originally started out in First Floor Power, one of the select bands signed to The Knife’s own label, Rabid Records – Karin Dreijer actually wrote You Take My Breath Away (a duet with Jenny) after watching a First Floor Power show.
Having also appeared on Robyn’s debut EP, Jenny won 3 Swedish Grammi awards for Demand The Impossible which, incredibly, she self-produced and released whilst undergoing treatment for breast cancer.