I absolutely love Kesha. I always have, and I certainly always will.
Hearing her song "Tik Tok" reminds me of being 11 years old dancing with my friends in my middle school cafeteria at 8:30 PM with a disco ball and teachers walking around monitoring us.
When I hear "Thinking of You," I think about riding the bus with my best friend and singing along freshmen year of high school.
Then, there was a lull. A big lull. Kesha's album Warrior came out in 2012 when I was 14 years old, now I'm 19 and she just released her album Rainbow. There was a long period of time where nobody knew where she was and Tweets started flooding in wondering where she went, but they were met with radio silence.
Eventually it was revealed that Kesha was stuck in a contract with Dr. Luke who sexually assaulted her and caused her to develop an eating disorder. She was facing an ultimatum: work with Dr. Luke or release nothing. She chose the latter.
Social media blew up with #boycottsony and #standwithkesha. People were furious that the music industry could turn their back on one of their own. Kesha is not only an incredibly talented musician but an incredible human being as well.
She finally had her day in court in 2016 after years of waiting. She didn't even try to sue him for abuse, she just wanted to be released from her incredibly unfair contract so that she could release her music again.
But she lost the trial and once again went into the shadows. She came out every now and again, but for the most part, we thought she felt defeated.
But we were wrong! She was working on honest and beautiful music. Music that she had been dying to record for years. Kesha Rose is not the party-girl "Ke$ha" gimmick that Sony and Dr. Luke made her out to be. She is honest and raw and so so talented.
Some of her older songs including "Love Into the Light," "Past Lives," and "Wonderland" show that, but of course, they were never chosen to be singles. Songs like "C'Mon" and "Blah Blah Blah," which don't get me wrong are bangers that I love, were chosen in order to promote her as a reckless, out of control, party animal.
When I first heard "Praying," the lead single off of her album Rainbow I started to tear up because of how proud I was of her. Not only was she finally able to use her voice after 5 years of silence, but she was able to write an incredibly moving song from her heart like she has always wanted to.
I am so proud of Kesha, and I will continue to support her and pray for the best of things to come her way because she deserves it.
