Pop singer Kesha finally ended her four-year hiatus on Thursday with the release of her new single, “Praying.” The song teases her upcoming album Rainbow, to be released this coming August.
"I’ve never been more excited about a piece of art I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Kesha said of "Praying" at a small press playback in London, The Guardian reports. “This is truly from the inside of my guts.”
A new tone for Kesha, amid ensuing legal battle
“Praying” strikes a very different chord than much of Kesha's previous music, possibly signaling a transition away from her past chart-topping party anthems laden with alcohol, dancing and crazy nights out on the town.
Her new single trades pumping electronic beats for a simple piano accompaniment, complimented by her surprisingly strong natural vocals, which in many of her past songs were heavily cloaked with autotune.
Even more noteworthy are the lyrics of the song, woven together in a moving apostrophe born from her own deep, personal pain and transformation. Although the song’s addressee is not specifically identified, its inspiration seems somewhat obvious given her public and ongoing lawsuit against songwriter and producer Lukasz Gottwald, or “Dr. Luke,” whom she alleges abused her sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally.
While working with Dr. Luke, Kesha suffered from bulimia nervosa, which she says stemmed from Dr.
Luke’s harsh criticism of her weight. She also alleges that Dr. Luke drugged and raped her on more than one occasion.
Dr. Luke has denied the abuse allegations and even countersued Kesha and her mother, Pebe Sebert, for defamation and breach of contract. Kesha’s request for release from her recording contract with Kemosabe Records, owned by Dr.
Luke and Sony Music Entertainment, was denied in February 2016 by the New York Supreme Court.
Single, upcoming album inspired by struggle
In an interview with SiriusXM radio, the “Die Young” singer revealed that recording her upcoming album Rainbow helped her cope with depression and related issues. Her single “Praying” tackles suicidal thoughts- specifically, her own.
“I wrote a song about it, so let's talk about it," she told SiriusXM. "I think it's healthy to talk about feeling really down sometimes because life can be a f***ing bitch sometimes. And I think the beautiful part is that you hold onto hope ... and you keep showing up for yourself."
