Animals, rejoice! The official Kesha comeback has begun.
On Thursday, the “TiK ToK” singer released a brand-new song, “Praying,” her first single since 2016′s collaboration with Zedd, “True Colors.” It’s also, technically, the singer’s first original song since 2012 ― the year her second album, “Warrior,” was released.
Along with the single, Kesha released a video directed by Jonas Åkerlund. ;
“Praying” begins with a moving spoken word introduction, where the singer asks: “Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams? Those horrible dreams that seem like they last forever? If I am alive, why?”
Kesha wrote the extremely emotional song with Ryan Lewis, Ben Abraham and Andrew Joslyn. In an essay on Lenny Letter, the artist said she “channeled my feelings of severe hopelessness and depression” into it.
“This song is about coming to feel empathy for someone else even if they hurt you or scare you. It’s a song about learning to be proud of the person you are even during low moments when you feel alone. It’s also about hoping everyone, even someone who hurt you, can heal,” she wrote.
The singer teased the single ― the first from her upcoming album, “Rainbow” ― on Wednesday night with a video message to her followers on social media.
“Your support and love and kindness has gotten me through, hands down, the hardest time of my entire life,” she said in the clip. “My new song, ‘Praying,’ is coming out tomorrow, and I couldn’t have done this without you. I fucking love you.”
“Praying” comes after a tumultuous few years for the singer, who remains embroiled in a legal battle with her former producer, Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald.
The legal fight dates back to 2014, when Kesha filed a lawsuit accusing Gottwald of sexual assault and battery. The following years have seen a string of back-and-forth accusations from both parties, with Gottwald continuously denying the allegations against him.
In February 2016, a New York judge denied Kesha’s motion requesting to be released from her recording contract with Sony, which oversees the Kemosabe label formerly headed by Gottwald, who signed Kesha. The judge, however, also ruled that the singer could work with a different producer under the Sony umbrella.
Amid her legal struggles, Kesha has become an outspoken advocate for equality and mental health, and has expressed immense gratitude to all the fans who’ve supported her over the past few years.
“Thank you for not giving up on me. We made it <3. I love you all so much,” she wrote in her Lenny Letter essay.
Before You Go
