Kate Bush backed Britain's striking nurses and recalled her sadness at the death of Queen Elizabeth II in a poignant Christmas message on Wednesday.
The Running Up That Hill singer reflected on the difficult year 2022 has been and offered up her wishes for 2023 in a message on her website, which was accompanied by a picture of a robin.
"I don't think any of us have ever known a year like this one," she wrote, calling the unending bad news a "bombardment".
Reflecting on the death of The Queen in September, she mused: "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 unexpressed loss that so many people had felt during the pandemic."
Looking ahead to the new year, Bush told her fans she hoped the war in Ukraine "will end" and offered her support to the nurses who are striking to gain better pay and conditions from the U.K. government.
"I hope that the nurses will be in a position where they are appreciated - they should be cherished," she added.
On a more positive note, she expressed her delight at her 1985 song Running Up That Hill experiencing an unlikely resurgence in the pop charts thanks to its appearance in Stranger Things.
"It's been a crazy, roller coaster year for me," she shared. "I still reel from the success of RUTH (Running Up That Hill), being the No. 1 track of this summer. What an honour! It was really exciting to see it doing so well globally, but especially here in the UK and Australia; and also to see it making it all the way to No. 3 in the US. It was such a great feeling to see so many of the younger generation enjoying the song. It seems that quite a lot of them thought I was a new artist! I love that!"
Signing off her festive message, Bush 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!"
