“I was going to have that child” – Pink speaks about heartbreaking miscarriage
Recording artist and mum-of-two Pink has a brand new album out and in the wake of its release, she’s sharing a little more about what makes her tick.
- Pink and Carey are parents to 7-year-old Willow and baby Jameson
- Carey Hart has frequently fired back at the ‘parent police’
- Pink wonders “are you a perfect parent?” after Carey was shamed
- Pink’s daughter Willow is following in her mum’s footsteps
Content warning: This story discusses miscarriage.
“I’ve always hated my body”
Pink just did quite an extensive interview with USA Today, and she started off by providing some background on the lyrics of one of her new tracks, Happy. The song’s very personal lyrics centre around mental health and body acceptance and Pink says writing it was exposing … yet cathartic.
The song begins “since I was 17, I’ve always hated my body and it feels like my body’s hated me”. Pink explained that some painful early experiences had made her question her own worth – and whether her body was somehow flawed.
“I’ve always had this very tomboy, very strong gymnast body, but actually at 17 I had a miscarriage,” she said. “I was going to have that child. But when that happens to a woman or a young girl, you feel like your body hates you and like your body is broken, and it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do.”
“I’ve had several miscarriages since,” she continued, “so I think it’s important to talk about what you’re ashamed of, who you really are and the painful shit. I’ve always written that way.”
Embracing life after loss
It’s not the first time Pink has spoken about miscarriage. Back in 2010 as she announced she was expecting Willow on The Ellen Show, the singer admitted she’d kept the pregnancy under wraps for as long as possible because she was scared of losing another child.
“I was just really nervous,” she told Ellen back then. “I have had a miscarriage before.”
She went on to write the song Beam Me Up about her experience of loss.
“Just beam me up, give me a minute, I don’t know what I’d say in it. I’d probably just stare, happy just to be there, holding your face.” lyrics from Beam Me Up by Pink.
“I believe in self-confrontation”
Pink said it’s not just her writing that has helped her process her losses, but working with a good therapist – one who she started seeing when she was just 22 – has been integral too.
“I believe in self-confrontation and just getting things out,” Pink told USA Today.
“What I love about therapy is that they’ll tell you what your blind spots are. Although that’s uncomfortable and painful, it gives you something to work with.”
It’s not just Pink that’s in therapy. Her husband Carey Hart attends sessions with her too. The pair have – very healthily – been in couple’s therapy for pretty much their whole relationship. That’s 17 years!
“He’s the biggest part of my village”
The pair, who are parents to a daughter named Willow and a toddler son Jameson, got together in 2004, married in 2006 and separated for a year in 2008. They then reconciled and have been together ever since.
“It’s the only reason we’re still together. He speaks Polish, I speak Italian, and she speaks both. We don’t speak the same language,” Pink explained.
“We come from broken families, and we had no model for: How are we supposed to keep this family together and live this crazy life? And there’s no book that says, ‘Here’s how to do this.’ So we go to counselling, and it works.”
“He’s the biggest part of my village,” Pink confirms.
If you – or someone you know – has experienced the loss of a baby, please visit sands.org.au to access resources and support.