After the last six years of fighting a law suit involving sexual assault allegations from producer Dr. Luke, Kesha is finally free.
On the morning of July 6, Kesha released her first single, “Praying,” in nearly five years. The song was co-written with Ben Abraham, Andrew Joslyn, and Ryan Lewis. It is a ballad that begins with spoken word about being abandoned and rising above different struggles one could face. Kesha intertwines her previous feelings of hopelessness and depression into this new, beautiful song, proving that she has overcome so many obstacles and is ready to take the world by storm. Kesha believes in being the better person and feeling bad for the people in your life that have hurt you. Even if you have been hurt, she believes you can be healed.
With the release of “Praying,” Kesha wrote a Lenny Letter on the same day, which is posted on Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner’s current event/pop culture website, “Lenny.” In this letter, she speaks to her fans and explains what tough times she went through and how she is stronger and more independent now. She writes, “This song is about me finding peace in the fact that I can’t control everything – because trying to control everyone was killing me. It’s about learning to let go and realize that the universe is in control of my fate, not me. I dragged myself out of bed and took my emotions to the studio and made art out of them.”
At the end of the letter, Kesha thanks her fans for not giving up on her and offers her new music as a gift to them. You can tell how much she wants her fans to be involved in her life, even through the hard times, by the way she says “we” instead of “me.” Her fans have truly stuck with her throughout the past few years and will continue to do so with the release of her new music.
About a week after the release of her first single, Kesha surprised everyone with another song titled “Woman.” According to Cosmopolitan, “In an essay for Rolling Stone, Kesha explained the inspiration behind the song, which she co-wrote with two male colleagues. ‘It was such a beautiful experience to write such a strong female empowerment song with two men,’ she said, ‘because it reinforces how supportive men can be of women and feminism.’” Kesha now speaks of being spiritual, a feminist and a free, positive human being, while her old songs mention themes of drinking, doing drugs, and partying all the time.
I have been a fan of Kesha’s music since she became popular. Her older songs make you want to dance and just have a good time while not really thinking about anything. When Kesha spoke out about Dr. Luke and sexual assault, it was so hard to hear because even though she had this party girl persona, she’s a human being just like the rest of us, and nobody deserves to be treated the way Dr. Luke treated her. Since all of the trials, my respect for Kesha has gone through the roof because of the professional way she handled the situation and her perseverance through it all. Most artists fall into a bad place if someone shakes their world, but Kesha stayed strong because deep down she knew she would find a way out, and she has. Her new music speaks volumes about who she is as a person and how hard of a fight she had to put up to keep her sanity, while also trying to find some self-love along the way.
Kesha is on a path to success with these two hit singles and her new album, “Rainbow” which will be released on Aug. 11 and includes collaborations featuring Eagles of Death Metal, Dolly Parton, and Kesha’s mom, Pebe Sebert. Although the album is still being released on Kemosabe, Dr. Luke’s label, it definitely has a different vibe than her past albums and she is stronger than ever after putting up a huge fight.
Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone
