Delta Rae’s Brittany Holljes Reveals She Was Sexually Assaulted at 13: ‘My Life Changed’
Delta Rae's Brittany Holljes is ready to talk about her sexual assault. Now 29, the singer says she's been holding onto the trauma since she was 13 years old, but is ready to join the countless women who are sharing their personal and painful assault stories.
"I was sexually assaulted when I was 13," she says. She told her family shortly after it happened, but otherwise has kept it inside. "I won’t go into the details, even though I remember them and the trauma vividly. My adrenaline kicks in, even now, thinking about it 16 years later."
Holljes recounted her experience to label head Scott Borchetta recently as she pushed for the release of the band's new song, "Hands Dirty," which speaks of the ongoing plight of women who, like the song lyrics say, "Keep pursuing our goals as though nothing is wrong/ but something is deeply wrong."
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"I will never be able to forget the assault," says Holljes, who takes lead vocals on "Hands Dirty" alongside brother and co-writer Ian Holljes. "My life changed then, too. I was lucky to be believed and to have the support of my close friends and family. And I, like most women who say 'Me Too,' didn't quit on myself after the first assault or after countless other times experiencing misogyny, harassment or violence since. We just keep working."
Holljes says that she hopes that the pure act of telling her own story and putting out an anthem like "Hands Dirty" (along with its powerful music video) will incite action on everyone’s part.
"This November, we have the opportunity to get an historic number of women elected," she says. "Let’s do it by getting an historic number of women voting in the midterms and beyond. Speak up about the causes that matter to you."
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