BLACKBURN R&B star Mary HD is releasing a new single inspired by the injustices she witnessed during a trip to Palestine.

The former fashion model will be releasing A Better Day on May 14 – when she will also celebrate her 30th birthday.

She said: “When I went to Palestine I saw at first hand some outrageous repression.

“Before going there I had seen snippets of news on TV but being there was a whole different story. I was shocked by the lack of basic freedoms – the checkpoints, the segregation wall, the ethnic cleansing, the house demolitions and child detainees.

“It’s totally wrong and heartbreaking. It’s 2012 and I don’t believe that anyone should have to live like that.”

Mary has included news footage on the video for A Better Day, and it has already been picked up by NME.com and featured at the Texas music industry conference and festival, SXSW12.

Mary, a former pupil of Beardwood High School, is a volunteer for the British Red Cross, Amnesty International and Women’s Voice, and also the official Patron for the John Bury Trust. She says the aim of her music is to promote hope and peace.

She said: “A Better Day is a song all about peace and forgiveness. I hope it can encourage people of all backgrounds to work together for a more tolerant and peaceful future.”