Kate Miller-Heidke teams up with Jaguar Jonze for powerful new single 'You Can't Hurt Me Anymore' and reveals childhood trauma
Image: Jo Duck (Kate Miller-Heidke)
Image: Cam Attree (Jaguar Jonze)
One of Australia’s most beloved singers Kate Miller-Heidke today releases the stunning and powerful single ‘You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore’, featuring the singer who originally inspired the song, Jaguar Jonze.
The single is the first to be released from the deluxe edition of her 2020 Top 10 Australian album Child In Reverse, due on March 18. Originally a synth-fuelled, 1980s throwback delight, the song has been reshaped to incorporate Jones and given a warmer, guitar-pop sound.
On the release of the album in 2020, Miller-Heidke said the song was about ‘dancing on the grave of an arsehole’ but today she revealed on social media that she was sexually abused between the ages of 4-6 by her great-grandfather, Archibald Barnes. “This song is about how I felt when he died. Ultimately it's a really empowering song to sing,” she said. She goes on to say she would probably never have been so open about her experience without the examples of Grace Tame and Brittany Higgins, along with Jaguar Jonze, who Miller-Heidke had a long conversation with on the day she wrote the song.
"I had been talking with Jaguar Jonze about the abuse she suffered during her childhood,” Miller-Heidke says. “I started to think about an experience I had during my own childhood, and jotted down the title ‘You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore’. That day Tobias Kuhn brought in that circular minor synth hook that explodes into the beautiful release of a major one. It immediately worked for the title. We had an amazing day that day - everyone was so excited by the epic pre-chorus (possibly the best pre-chorus I’ve ever been involved in writing). I cried a bit. I had never written directly about this before, and it was cathartic."
Also out today is the video directed by Joshua Tate. Full of striking imagery of Miller-Heidke and Jones in a church and travelling in a car, it is emotional, heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Eurovision fans will also note Miller-Heidke’s headpiece is a new take on the one she wore in her attention-grabbing appearance performing ‘Zero Gravity’ at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.
Having these two supremely creative and empowering musicians join together on such an important song is one of the greatest things to happen in Australian music this year. This is a track to playlist immediately.
If any of the issues in this story have affected you we urge you to contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732
‘You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore’ is out now via EMI Records. You can download and stream here.
Child In Reverse (Deluxe Edition) will be released on March 18. You can pre-save here.
To keep up with all things Kate Miller-Heidke you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
To keep up with all things Jaguar Jonze you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
