WHEN Melinda Schneider wrote My Voice two years ago, it was an attempt to speak out about the emotional abuse she had suffered in personal and professional relationships.

She had kept quiet when sexually harassed on two occasions in Nashville studios and struggled to find her voice to challenge people close to her who had damaged her self-esteem with psychological abuse.

The song will serve as an anthem for others as it is adopted by the NOW Australia campaign to combat workplace sexual harassment and assist people across all industries who have suffered abuse.

Now Australia ambassador Schneider said she can relate to those who have kept silent about incidents of intimidation or harassment.

She shared the harrowing story of one hit maker in Nashville who pinned her against a wall in the middle of a songwriting session and made graphic sexual threats. Somehow she managed to tell him to sit back down and finish the song they were writing.

“It was fight or flight and in that moment, I was able to fight,” she said.

Schneider said she is still haunted by another “creepy” incident when a producer insisted on joining her in the cramped vocal booth during a recording.

He tried to convince her she would perform better if he massaged her during the take.

“He was rubbing my back while I was trying to get this really emotional vocal down. And I can tell you, it was not a good vocal take. I was frozen. That was creepy,” she said.

“I didn’t call him on it because I had to work with him for another month. So I diplomatically said ‘Hey, that isn’t working for me.’

“It’s not just the physical intimidation, it’s the emotional manipulation that goes with it. That’s the stuff that undermines you and allows the physical manifestation of things to happen.

“They can get into your head and manipulate you and make you feel embarrassed to say anything. That’s the stuff that betrays you from standing up at the time.”

When the Harvey Weinstein allegations surfaced in America six months ago, Schneider knew she had to finally release My Voice.

She contacted NOW Australia founder Tracey Spicer and offered the song for the campaign.

The popular country music star has also spent the past few weeks making a video with homemade iPhone clips of family, friends and fellow personalities including Damien Leith, Jessica Rowe, Amanda Keller, Amber Lawrence, Luke O’Shea, Aleyce Simmonds and Tania Major singing My Voice.

“People have told me that singing along to the song has been healing for them and that makes me so happy,” she said.

Of course one of her favourite performances in the video is from her partner Mark Gable, father of their son Sullivan and frontman of Choirboys.

“It is only now, because I have been in a very healthy relationship with Mark for the past 10 years, a man who wants me to be myself and loves me just as I am, that I am able to put this song out there and feel safe to do so,” Schneider said.

“The song seems to sum up everything that has been going on with #metoo but beyond it being just for women who have suffered abuse, it is also for the men who suffer depression and keep it a secret, anyone who has gone through some difficulty in life and kept quiet because of fear or shame.”

My Voice is now available on iTunes with proceeds donated to Now Australia.