Kesha has released a brand new single titled, ‘Praying’; Kesha made the announcement yesterday on her Twitter page.

 

https://twitter.com/KeshaRose/status/882709047346069504

 

On ‘Praying’, Kesha addresses the allegations she made against super producer Dr. Luke and the impact it has had on her life as she starts off the song asking, “Why, if there is a God…have I been abandoned by everyone and everything, I’ve ever known and ever loved…God give me a sign or I’ll have to give up…please just let me die….being alive hurts too much.”

Kesha doesn’t hold back on ‘Praying’ seeming to speak directly to Dr. Luke when she sings, “You almost had me fooled, told me that I was nothing without you. That after everything you’ve done, I can thank you for how strong I have become. Because you brought the flames and you put me through hell, I had to learn how to fight for myself and we both know the truth I could tell, I’ll just say this, I wish you farewell, I hope you’re somewhere praying…”

Along with the song, she released a letter to her fans where she says, “Praying,” my first single in almost four years, comes out today. I have channeled my feelings of severe hopelessness and depression, I’ve overcome obstacles, and I have found strength in myself even when it felt out of reach. I’ve found what I had thought was an unobtainable place of peace. 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.”

Kesha goes on to say that she hopes this song is a source of strength for people who are going through a difficult time, “I hope this song reaches people who are in the midst of struggles, to let them know that no matter how bad it seems now, you can get through it. If you have love and truth on your side, you will never be defeated. Don’t give up on yourself.”

You can read her whole Lenny Letter below.

 

https://twitter.com/KeshaRose/status/882933892394758145

 

‘Praying’ is a far departure from other party singles such as, ‘Tik Tok’ and ‘Blow’.

 

 

 

So, how did all of this begin?

Well, back in 2012 after the Sandy Hook school shooting, Kesha’s song, ‘Die Young’ (co-produced by Dr. Luke) was pulled from radio stations across North America and she took to Twitter to say that she felt like she was “forced” to sing the song’s chorus, “Let’s make the most of the night cause we’re gonna die young.”

 

 

She would later clarify with a post on her website saying, “Forced is not the right word. I did have some concerns about the phrase ‘die young’ in the chorus when we were writing the lyrics especially because so many of my fans are young and that’s one reason why I wrote so many versions of this song.”

Some of her more passionate fans started a petition to help Kesha get out of her business relationship with Dr. Luke, accusing him and Kesha’s former manager David Sonenberg of being controlling of the singer.

Things got taken to a more serious level after Kesha went to rehab in 2013 to treat an eating disorder. Her mother Pebe Sebert would go on to speak to People and accuse Dr. Luke of weight shaming her daughter and consistently telling her that she needed to lose weight, “One time on a conference call, Sonenberg was screaming, ‘You need to lose weight! I don’t care what you do … take drugs, not eat, stick your finger down your throat!’

She added, “He has just always been very disrespectful about her weight. He’d say it in certain ways, like ‘Why don’t you try running?’ She was doing everything and not getting thin fast enough, and that’s when she first became bulimic.”

Things hit their peak in 2014 when Kesha sued Dr. Luke for preventing her from working with other labels. She also claimed that he, “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused Ms. Sebert to the point where Ms. Sebert nearly lost her life…”

The suit also alleged, “Ms. Sebert wholly believed that Dr. Luke had the power and money to carry out his threats; she therefore never dared talk about, let alone report, what Dr. Luke had done to her” (you can read it in full here).

Dr. Luke for his part countersued Kesha’s mom and took to Twitter to deny all of the allegations in a series of tweets,

 

 

Just this past week and after three years of legal disputes, Dr. Luke and Kesha’s mom reached a settlement.

The two releasing a joint statement saying “Dr. Luke vigorously disputes and denies that he ever raped Kesha Sebert, and he is asserting claims of defamation in a New York court against Kesha Sebert for making statements to the contrary, which statements Dr. Luke adamantly maintains are false. Pebe admits she has no firsthand personal knowledge of the events occurring on the night of the alleged rape. Pebe was not present that night. At that time, Pebe was in Nashville, and Kesha was in Los Angeles. The dispute between Kesha and Dr. Luke about the events of that night is the subject of the New York case, and will be decided in that case. Accordingly, all parties believe it is appropriate to dismiss this Tennessee case and focus their attention on the New York case.”

Last year, Kesha made an appearance at the 2016 Coachella Music Festival during Zedd’s set and performed ‘True Colors’, a song from Zedd’s album.

 

 

The performance marked her first high-profile public appearance since her legal battle with Dr. Luke began; a studio version of the song was also released as a single a few weeks later.

 

 

She also covered Bob Dylan’s ‘It Ain’t Me Babe’ at last year’s Billboard Music Awards and would later go on a mini tour to end off the year, covering various songs and different versions of her own singles.

 

 

‘Praying’ is thought to be the first single from Kesha’s forthcoming, third studio album and if this is any indication, Kesha may be on the midst of her best, and most personal project yet.

 

Filed under: Dr. Luke, Kesha