Dear Kesha...
Dear Kesha,
I'm going to be honest. I was never a fan. And I thought the $ sign was kinda gimmicky. I'm glad you gave it up.
Call me crazy, and I realize I'm in the minority, but songs like "TiK ToK” just didn't float my personal boat (“I’m talking about everybody getting crunk, crunk...Boys tried to touch my junk, junk”). I'm into more thought provoking material (except for "Boom Clap." I loved "Boom Clap"),no matter what the sonics—happy to listen to anything on a transistor radio as long as I love the song...what? What's a transistor radio you ask? Oh never mind.
Of course, none of this has anything to do with you personally. Friends in common (David Gamson and Chelcee Grimes), say you're a doll. I have no reason to doubt them.
Listen, sometimes we're blindsided by the success of the producers with whom we work and it's easy to forget that who we are is the thing they should help us explore. Then again, perhaps your early efforts were exactly who you were then. If so, #respect. But, umm, you sound like a different girl now.
When that whole thing happened, you know, the "incident," everyone thought you were finished. I didn’t. I had this thought—there’s got to be some powerful stuff going on in that girl's head. I’d totally love to get in there…Easier said than done. I didn't have your cell, I didn’t know your mother, I wasn't exactly the lowest hanging fruit, and...you had those recording restrictions and court dates keeping you busy…so…it was not to be.
But time is merciful, Kesh. And it served you well. Thankfully, it bestowed upon you a creative fire, one you may never have known before and lucky for us, you returned to the studio and wrote "Praying"…with Ryan Lewis (dude needs to get a website). Hey, if it couldn’t be with me I'm glad it was with someone.
Artistry requires continual growth and a willingness to bare one’s soul even when (especially when), we’ve been through something excruciatingly painful. Like…the ”incident.” ("I'm proud of who I am, No more monsters, I can breathe again").
I recently scrolled through the 1000+ song titles vying for the 5 slots for Song of the Year and when "Praying" appeared it was a no brainer. Boink! The first time I heard it, I was like WHAAAT? A deer in the headlights. It was a pull-over-to-the-side-of-the-road song if I ever heard one.
See, “Praying” is what I wait for. It's confessional, passionate, personal, liberating, vulnerable, cathartic and forgiving. To thine own self you were true, not to someone else's. Plus, it's killer catchy and sonically masterful. (And Kesha…have you ever thought about the irony that it was released on Kemosabe Records, the SONY—run label started by none other than the other party involved in THE INCIDENT??? That’s Ka-razy!
So kudos to you girl. Good luck with that GRAMMY. Although a GRAMMY is simply icing on the cake. We all know the cake should be enough. But hey, a little statue on a mantle never hurt. It's nice to have a reminder of the obstacles we’ve faced and that we've learned from our mistakes and have lived to tell. That's called art.
Maybe some day you'll get back to the Daisy Duke ditties. But I'll be savoring this one for a while. Besides, you can't have 13 "Prayings" on an album. It's TMI. We need palate cleansers in between the heavy stuff.
Anyway, I hope you continue to journey through life, along with its joys and “incidents,” with dignity and perseverance.
Oh and by the way, about that Song of the Year? Here’s the biggest reason why it’s so easy to give it my support. Of all the songs I’ve heard in the past 12 months, that's the one I wish I wrote.
Please don't hesitate to call when you're ready for the next record. Although, IMO, this one will be hard to beat.
All the best,
Shelly P
"Praying" was written by
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