Though her new music indicates that she is trying. ‘Praying’, which is co-written with Ben Abraham, Andrew Joslyn and Macklemore cohort Ryan Lewis, is a neo-gospel ballad that opens with a long spoken-word soliloquoy about being abandoned and rising above adversity. Described as “a new beginning for Kesha, one based around inner strength and musical exploration,” the album features a wide array of collaborators, including Eagles of Death Metal, Dolly Parton, hitmaker Ricky Reed, the Dap-Kings horn section and Kesha’s mom, Pebe Sebert.

Kesha wrote a personal essay for Lenny Letter, the subscription-based project of Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner that addresses the themes in ‘Praying.’
In the essay, Kesha writes “’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.

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…

This song is about me finding peace in the fact that I can’t control everything — because trying to control everyone was killing me. It’s about learning to let go and realize that the universe is in control of my fate, not me.

I dragged myself out of bed and took my emotions to the studio and made art out of them.

It’s from our darkest moments that we gain the most strength. There were so many days, months even, when I didn’t want to get out of bed. I spent all day wanting to go to sleep, and then when I did fall asleep, I had horrible night terrors where I would physically cry and scream through the dark. I was never at peace, night or day. But I dragged myself out of bed and took my emotions to the studio and made art out of them. And I have never been happier with a body of work as I am with this record.

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.”