Singer Justine Skye is opening up about healing through music after an abusive relationship.
In fact, the singer’s new music video for “Build” explores the pain of domestic violence and taps into Skye’s own experience in an abusive situation.
“[I was] reenacting something I have been through,” she toldBillboard, adding that seeing her mother watch the video was “emotionally draining.”
“It was very sad. I was thinking about all the women who have experienced this,” she continued.
Skye said that she hopes her video will bring awareness to domestic violence survivors, and reduce the shame it can cause some victims.
“For the most part, I hope that people get the message I am trying to spread, which is awareness of the situation,” she explained. “Standing up to [domestic violence] is extremely important. It can happen to anyone.”
Skye told Billboard that she found the strength to get out of the situation by prioritizing self-care.
“I chose to stop blaming myself,” she said. “I would think about the situation asking what I did wrong. I am focusing on all the things I did right. I am focusing on all the positive things that are happening in my life. After I went through this experience, I was so angry.”
The singer said she also “saw a reader” and tried a number of methods to heal, putting all of her energy into music and creating visuals for her new project.
The 23-year-old singer explained, “I do not wish to seek revenge. Nothing can change what happened to me. It matters what I choose to do after [abuse], to make sure that this doesn’t happen to me again. I [shared my experience] in order to try and prevent this from happening to the next girl.”
