NEW YORK -- Grammy-winning singer Duffy says she's been out of the public limelight for years to focus on recovering from being "drugged and raped and held captive over some days."

The Welsh performer said in a revealing Instagram post Tuesday that it has taken time to recover and asked her fans to support her. She said she shared more in an interview that will be published soon.

"You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, 'How can I sing from the heart if it is broken?' And slowly it unbroke," she wrote.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

You can only imagine the amount of times I thought about writing this. The way I would write it, how I would feel thereafter. Well, not entirely sure why now is the right time, and what it is that feels exciting and liberating for me to talk. I cannot explain it. Many of you wonder what happened to me, where did I disappear to and why. A journalist contacted me, he found a way to reach me and I told him everything this past summer. He was kind and it felt so amazing to finally speak. The truth is, and please trust me I am ok and safe now, I was raped and drugged and held captive over some days. Of course I survived. The recovery took time. There’s no light way to say it. But I can tell you in the last decade, the thousands and thousands of days I committed to wanting to feel the sunshine in my heart again, the sun does now shine. You wonder why I did not choose to use my voice to express my pain? I did not want to show the world the sadness in my eyes. I asked myself, how can I sing from the heart if it is broken? And slowly it unbroke. In the following weeks I will be posting a spoken interview. If you have any questions I would like to answer them, in the spoken interview, if I can. I have a sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years. You have been friends. I want to thank you for that x Duffy Please respect this is a gentle move for me to make, for myself, and I do not want any intrusion to my family. Please support me to make this a positive experience.

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Duffy's 2008 debut album, "Rockferry," won the best pop vocal album Grammy. The song "Mercy" from the album topped the U.K. singles chart. She released her sophomore album, "Endlessly," in 2010 but has barely released since.

She did not reveal more details and asked for respect during her "gentle move" toward revealing more. A representative for Duffy did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

"If you have any questions I would like to answer them, in the spoken interview, if I can. I have a sacred love and sincere appreciation for your kindness over the years. You have been friends. I want to thank you for that," she wrote.