Kesha is back. While still in the midst of an intense legal battle with her former manager Dr. Luke that left the future of her career in doubt, the singer has finally returned with her first new piece of music in nearly four years. The single “Praying,” taken from her upcoming album Rainbow that is set to drop next month on August 11, carries an empowering vibe sonically, but doesn’t shy away from addressing some of the darker moments that Kesha has been forced to reckon with as of late.
In a spoken word intro, she tackles her fears head on, while asking her creator a number of questions. “Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams? Those horrible dreams that seem like they last forever? If I am alive, why? If there is a God or whatever, something, somewhere, ‘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.”
The video itself is gorgeous, featuring vivid colorful scenes out in the desert mixed with stark black and white footage shot on a makeshift raft in some body of water.. At the center of it all is Kesha who opens up her heart and soul over a stirring piano ballad.
In a letter she wrote for Lenny, Kesha described “Praying” as a song “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.”
You can watch the “Praying” video above.
