Survivor Stories in Song

How one artist turned lived experience into collective strength

Some pieces of art don’t just express something - they open a door. Survivor, the powerful single from Muddy Summers & the DFWs, does exactly that. Created by Gail Something-Else and shaped by a community of women and allies, it turns lived experience into a collective act of strength.

The song began with Gail’s own account of sexual assault - a truth many are pushed to carry silently. Instead, she chose to make something from it: a song that refuses minimisation, a video that gathers people together, and a message that reaches far beyond the moment it was recorded. The result is both personal and communal: a reminder of what survival can sound like when it’s given the space to be heard.

Featured on BBC Introducing in 2023,  this work shows how art can document harm, honour those who’ve lived it, and still create space for connection and courage.

All profits from the track on Bandcamp are donated to Women’s Aid, making Survivor not only an artistic statement but a direct act of support.

A snapshot of solidarity: individual truths coming together to form something louder and braver.

Work like Survivor reminds us that change comes when stories are shared, not silenced. MYH is proud to stand alongside artists who turn lived experience into momentum.