After being trapped in the musical dessert for the past 4 years, Kesha returns with an extravagant eye-catching music video titled, “Praying”.
Released yesterday night (Thursday, 6th July), the 30-year-old singer’s comeback ballad delivers a powerful message about forgiveness and finding peace.
The visual opens with the pop star lying in a coffin before cutting to Kesha laying defeated on a raft in the middle of the ocean. Directed by Jonas Akerlund, we see her pondering on a solemn monologue in her dark thoughts.
“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, 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,” she says.
The scene then cuts to the songstress in a series of colourful outfits including one where she’s donning a pair of angel wings while playing the piano. She goes to sing about an individual (presumably Dr Luke) who “brought the flames” and put her “through hell”.
“I hope you’re somewhere praying, praying/ I hope your soul is changing, changing/ I hope you find your peace falling on your knees, praying,” she sings in the chorus. In the 2nd verse, she shares, “You said that I was done/ Well, you were wrong, and now the best is yet to come/ ‘Cause I can make it on my own/ I don’t need you/ I’ve found a strength I’ve never known.”
In an emotional essay Lenny Letter, Kesha wrote that “Praying” 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 went on to clarify, saying, “I know that I was never abandoned by my fans, my animals, or my family, but when you are depressed — really, truly depressed — you feel like you have nothing.”
Her upcoming album, “Rainbow”, will debut on 11th August. It’ll be her first full-length LP in 5 years.
You can read her full essay on Lenny Letter here.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Vox, Billboard.
