Bad Gyal Jade opens up about domestic abuse

Bad Gyal Jade's dancehall persona epitomises strength, but there was a time when the life she led outside of the music told a different story.

The entertainer told THE WEEKEND STAR that she was involved in an abusive relationship and didn't think she would escape. On the heels of her latest single, Fight For Us, which speaks out against all types of violence against women, she shared her story, and said she hopes that her testimony would encourage other women to take action before it's too late.

Personal for me

"I have always wanted to do a song that spoke about violence against women because the issue is personal for me. I was with someone who was controlling and hurting me in every way imaginable. It was like this man did a take out everything pan me, and the simplest thing would get him upset," she said. Today she is thankful she was able to escape.

"When I left, I left in his big shirt and his slippers because is like him feel say me did ago cut and him hide me stuff. I run go back a mi mother yaad. Luckily when I did that, him never run mi dung and try fi harm me. Not a lot of women went through what I went through and walk out alive," she said.

Having lost her sister to violent circumstances - she and her babyfather were gunned down in Central Village, St Catherine, three years ago - Bad Gyal Jade said men have really lost a lot of love and compassion for women. Her personal experiences coupled with the recent spate of killings involving women made her decide the time had come for a song.

"Looking back at all the things I have been through, sometime me cry and talk to Father God and beg him fi heal mi heart. Everything I was feeling came out on this track. Doing the song, mi literally full a cold bump. I was crying in the booth. There is something about this song weh just touch me soul pan another level and a dat mi want it fi do to other people," she said.

Bad Gyal Jade said that while she believes the track has true hit potential, she hopes it will encourage women to seek help to end toxic relationships.

"Sometimes we affi make up we mind fi just leave because if we don't, we're always going to be in that toxic situation and one a di day we just might end up dead," she said.