How The Meaning Behind Kesha's New Song And Video "Praying" Has To Do With Those Dr. Luke Rape Allegations
She's finally free.
YouTube After four years of depression, court testimonies and not being able to use her voice, Kesha is finally back.
The 30-year-old singer who filled our Saturday night playlists' with bangers like "Tic Toc" and "C'mon," was legally unable to make music after she accused her producer, Dr. Luke, of a 10-year period of abuse and assault.
In October 2014, Kesha accused Dr. Luke, or Lukasz Gottwald, of forcing her to take a date-rape drug and taking advantage of her in a hotel room. She also said that had exerted "suffocating control" over her life and was constantly insulting about her looks and denying her meaningful profits from her work.
Luke denied the claims, and last year a New York City judge denied Kesha's request for an injunction, which, if granted, would have permitted her to work on fresh music without her abuser.
But the music Kesha has been working on for at least a year is finally going to see the light, and since Luke's contract with Sony is up AND he's no longer the CEO of the record label that was producing her music — she's done being quiet.
She released her new song, "Praying," July 6 as the first single off her upcoming album, "Rainbow," which is set to release in August. The ballad is filled with emotionally charged lyrics about her struggle to overcome the depression and anxiety that followed her years of assault.
The video starts with her questioning the meaning of life: "If there’s a God or whatever, something, somewhere, why have I been abandoned by everyone and everything I’ve ever known, I’ve ever loved? Stranded, what is the lesson? What is the point? God, give me a sign or I have to give up. I can’t do this anymore. Please just let me die. Being alive hurts too much.”
Before the song release, Kesha wrote an essay for Lenny Letter where she described the inspiration for the song is about her finding strength in some of her darkest moments.
"I've written a record that reveals my vulnerabilities, and I have found strength in that," she wrote. "In the past, I've always felt like I was trying to prove something, trying to be someone I thought people wanted me to be, but on this record, I'm just telling the truth about my life. This album is me."