Jamaican soulful songstress Etana, born Shauna McKenzie, has courageously shared her harrowing experience of surviving an abusive relationship.

She urged women to prioritize their safety and leave at the earliest signs of danger. The 40-year-old artist revealed her deep commitment to raising awareness about gender-based violence (GBV), a cause she holds close to her heart as both a survivor and an advocate.

"After getting into a physical battle with my boyfriend at that time, he beat and beat and beat me for so long. And after all that, he said, 'When I come back, I'm going to kill you,'” she recounted.

Etana recalled how, despite lying on the floor battered and bruised, she found the strength to resist, vowing never to let her abuser control her life again.

"I got that strength from my aunt who died because of an abusive relationship. She got 13 stabs to her body from her boyfriend, right in front of her two children. They ended up growing without a mother and a father," she emotionally shared in a post on social media.

The tragic loss of her aunt was a turning point that influenced Etana’s resolve to take threats seriously.

"I said to myself at that time, 'If it is either going to be you or me, it for sure isn't going to be me,'” she stated.

In her chilling narration, Etana described how she stood up to her abuser. "When he came back, I had a gun in my hand, seated on a chair. I picked up the gun—it was a little barrel gun given to me by one of my brothers. I pulled the trigger, but it got stuck."

Although the weapon didn’t fire, her determination to fight back terrified her abuser. "The fact that I pulled the trigger made him take off, and he never came back," she said.

Reflecting on her escape, Etana shared insights that she hopes others in similar situations will embrace.

"In any event, as a woman or a man in an abusive relationship, always think:

1) Love doesn’t hurt.

2) I have to love myself first. With that self-love, I can love someone else the right way. But it starts with you—you have to love yourself," she advised. Speaking directly to women, Etana emphasized the urgency of leaving abusive relationships.

"It takes strength and courage, but when it is time to leave, it is time to leave! Make no excuses! As soon as you find that one moment to get away, take it. Because that hesitation—the 'maybe I should, maybe I shouldn’t'—could cost you your life," she warned.