Rape victim aims to make a difference

Em Hoggett, who lived in Sutton before moving to New York when she was 18, is releasing four tracks after teaming up with a Grammy-nominated producer.

The 20-year-old who now lives and performs in LA has waived her right to anonymity to try and bring comfort to other people who have suffered.

And she hopes by encouraging more rape victims to come forward it will prevent perpetrators thinking they can get away with it. She said: “I really want to help survivors feel less alone. Music, I believe,is something that connects us all as human beings.

“There’s songs for every emotion, but there’s almost nothing out there on sexual assault and that’s a huge problem. If I had been listening to songs about what I was feeling played on the radio I would have felt so much less afraid to speak out sooner.”

Em was 16 and in London when she was raped. The ordeal was eating her up inside, so two years later she wrote the song What I Want To Say To You after being encouraged by her mum to put her feelings on paper.

The song’s release prompted a huge response with many people commenting on the bravery of the personal lyrics.

After writing three more songs the catalyst for the EP came when Em was introduced to top music producer Bruce Witkin who agreed to record it for free, saving Em thousands of pounds.

The meeting came not long after articles began being written about Harvey Weinstein which Em, who is also an actress, admitted “brought a lot of things back to me.”

The EP called What I Want To Say To You is set to be released in late April or early May and can be downloaded from iTunes, Spotify and elsewhere. All proceeds will go to sexual assault charities.

A social media campaign and website with the same name also launched this week with Em hoping it will encourage victims to speak out, with money being raised for charity at the same time. She added: “I have never believed in anything more than this project. I believe this is an opportunity to help change the world.

“Our goal is to hopefully raise millions of dollars in sales, increase awareness and, most importantly, make a huge impact on the lives of survivors.” For more on the campaign, visit: www.whatiwanttosaytoyou.com.