Lindsay Ell Reveals She Was Raped at 13 in Powerful New Song “Make You”

Lindsay Ell opens up about her painful past with her powerful new song, “Make You.”

People reports that the four-minute ballad details her ordeal being sexually assaulted at the age of 13. “I was raped when I was 13, and it happened again when I was 21,” Ell reveals to the outlet. “The song only talks about the first time. It’s just a difficult thing to talk about, and it’s something that I process every day still.”

Ell also chose to release the song on July 7 in honor of Global Forgiveness Day. “Forgiving people in our past is a huge thing for whatever reason, but forgiving yourself is so important,” says Ell. “There’s an incredible amount of healing that can happen, and it can’t happen until you can truly open up that forgiveness for your own heart.”

“Make You” will also appear on Ell’s upcoming album Heart Theory, which arrives on August 14.