Amphlett’s ‘I Touch Myself’ Becomes Breast Cancer Awareness Anthem



Divinyls frontwoman, the late Chrissy Amphlett, is celebrated as one of Australia’s greatest female performers and now one of the band’s most memorable and controversial songs, I Touch Myself, is to become an anthem for breast cancer awareness.

Nearly a year after the 53-year-old singer died after a long battle with breast cancer and multiple sclerosis, 10 of Australia’s leading female artists have paid tribute to the Divinyls frontwoman, each singing the hit song in a new music video for the Cancer Council NSW’s I Touch Myself Project.

The black and white clip features Amphlett’s cousin Little Pattie, Olivia Newton John, Kate Ceberano, Megan Washington, Katie Noonan, Deborah Conway, Suze DeMarchi, Sarah Blasko, Connie Mitchell and Sarah McLeod and, as the song titled would suggest, promotes self breast-examination among women for early detection of lumps or changes in the look or feel of their breasts.

Amphlett’s husband Charley Drayton said the 1990 tune took on a whole new meaning when in 2010 her own self-examination helped Amphlett detected a lump later determined to be cancer. “I Touch Myself spoke louder every day from that moment that we confirmed her intuition had been right,” Drayton told news.com.

“Chrissy may not have thought at the time that the song was ever going to relate to breast cancer but she wants people to live and that means women — and men — giving themselves the chance, to be more aware,” he added.

Commissioned by Cancer Council NSW and created by JWT Sydney, the I Touch Myself Project will be officially launched on Wednesday alongside a photographic exhibition at the Blender Gallery in Sydney.

Watch: I Touch Myself Breast Cancer Anthem #itouchmyselfproject

Watch: Divinyls – I Touch Myself

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