Marcus Mumford reveals he was sexually abused as a child
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Credit: Press
Marcus Mumford shares passionate new single, ‘Better Off High’
Marcus Mumford - 'Better Off High'
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Marcus Mumford, frontman of Mumford and Sons, has shared a brand new single titled ‘Better Off High’.
‘Better off High’ is the third previewing track to be released ahead of his upcoming debut solo album, ‘(Self-Titled)’, which is set for release on September 16th via Island. This latest cut follows the previous singles ‘Grace‘ and ‘Cannibal’.
‘Better Off High’ explores “the complexities of self-medicating” and relates to a time when Mumford was experiencing serious issues with addiction. The powerful track surges with a high tempo and an optimistic tone of triumph that contrasts with the serious subject manner in a manner of defiance.
In a recent interview with GQ, Mumford candidly discussed ‘Cannibal’, which holds the evocative lyrics: “I can still taste you, and I hate it / That wasn’t a choice in the mind of a child, and you knew it.”
“Like lots of people – and I’m learning more and more about this as we go and as I play it to people – I was sexually abused as a child,” the singer-songwriter told the publication. GQ noted that the singer was six years old at the time. He continued: “Not by family and not in the church, which might be some people’s assumption. But I hadn’t told anyone about it for 30 years.”
Mumford continued, explaining how he recently played ‘Cannibal’ for his mother, having kept the traumatic experience to himself until then. “The power of the mind, man,” he added.
His mum then came back to him a “couple [of] days later”. Mumford remembered: “[She said,] ‘Can I ask what that song’s about?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s about the abuse thing’. She was like, ‘What are you talking about?’”
He continued: “So once we get through the trauma of that moment for her, as a mother, hearing that and her wanting to protect and help and all that stuff, it’s objectively fucking hilarious to tell your mum about your abuse in a fucking song, of all things.”
Mumford hits the road in November for a UK and Ireland tour in support of the new album. These dates follow on from an initial run across North America in the autumn.
Listen to Marcus Mumford’s new single, ‘Better Off High’, below.
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