Just last week, I met someone at a party named Duffy, and I asked them if they knew the singer Duffy. They didn’t. I tried singing the song “Mercy” but...I have the worst singing voice on the planet. Perhaps if it was “Mercy Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye, but the hit sing from the 2008 debut album “Rockferry” didn’t ring any bells. I liked the tune so much that when the Welsh singer played a big venue in San Diego, I brought the CD to the show, hoping for an autograph. Now, since her name was Aimee Duffy, I thought it would be more appropriate to call her by her first name. I yelled it to her, a few hours before the show, when I saw her walk inside the venue. She came over and said, “Why’d you call me that? My name’s Duffy.” 

I tried to explain that I thought she just used that as a stage name, and she kind of smiled as she lectured me. She happily signed the CD, but because of the scolding I got, I didn’t want to pull out the music magazine I had rolled up in my back pocket for her to sign.

I’ve had that happen a few times with people when it comes to autographs. I usually bring two items to get signed (more than that, you look pushy or like an ebay seller), but if they aren’t friendly, or security is telling you no...I never go for the second item.

Well, I found out where Duffy has been for the last 10 years. She released a statement today that she was drugged and raped for days, and being held captive. The 35-year-old said that she is “ok and safe now” but it was a long recovery from the ordeal and she didn’t feel like being in the public eye.

The Grammy winner released a second album in 2010, won three Brit Awards and performed at an Edith Piaf tribute concert in 2013, but nothing else.

Duffy said she’s going to release an audio interview in the next few weeks that would answer a lot more questions (I’m curious as to who abducted her and if they’ve been brought to justice; especially after just watching Harvey Weinstein finally go down). 

Duffy said in her statement that she couldn’t perform, when she’d have sadness in her eyes, and that she didn’t want to try to “sing from the heart, if it is broken.”

I’m hoping she’ll do well on her road to recovery, and I look forward to hearing new music from her.

And if I ever meet her again, I’ll be sure to call her Duffy.