Kate Bush shares rare, poignant message for Christmas and hopes for the New Year

Singer Kate Bush has reflected on a year of highs and lows in a new Christmas message.

The 64-year-old singer posted two separate messages over the last few days, where she addressed topics including nursespay, the Queen’s death and the war in Ukraine.

In the most recent message, entitled “Merry Christmas”, Bush said she had “never known a year like this one”.

“Life became incredibly frightening in the pandemic,” wrote the singer. “But just as we think it might be over soon, it seems to keep going.”

“It’s a bombardment – the horrific war in Ukraine, the famines, the droughts, the floods… and we lost our Queen.”

“Many of my friends were surprised at how upset they were at her death, especially as we aren’t royalists, but I think her passing became a focus for grief, for the unexpressed loss that so many people had felt during the pandemic.”

“I wonder where on earth we’ll all be at the end of next year?” questioned the “Running Up that Hill” singer.

“I hope the war will end. I hope that the nurses will be in a position where they are appreciated – they should be cherished,” she continued.

Bush also shared her thoughts on the positives from the year: “It’s been a crazy, rollercoaster year for me. I still reel from the success of RUTH being the No 1 track of this summer. What an honour!”

“It was such a great feeling to see so many of the younger generation enjoying the song. It seems quite a lot of them thought I was a new artist! I love that!” she said before thanking everyone for their support of the track.

The singer is holding out hope for 2023: “Let’s all hope that next year will be better than this one. I keep thinking about hope and how it was the last to fly out of Pandora’s box.”

“Sometimes it’s all that seems to glow in the dark times we find,” she wrote.

“I‘d like to think that this Christmas when joy is so hard to find, hope will perch in all our souls. Merry Christmas!” Bush said signing off her message to fans.

Earlier this week, the singer posted another reflective message, thanking NHS workers for their service and supporting their requests for better pay.

In the post, the artist urged compassion at a time where people were “confused and uncertain of the future”.

“With nearly two years of Covid, are any of us the same people we were before?” she questioned.

“It’s been a terrible time of loss for so many. I want to say a big thank you to all the people on the front line and in the NHS. I have such huge respect for all the nurses and doctors who’ve already been working flat out for nearly two years.”

“These caring people are showing such extraordinary acts of kindness to others. Let’s hope they get the pay rises they rightly deserve.”