THE IMPORTANCE OF "PRAYING"

Kesha is back, and she’s got soul. “Praying”—her first solo song in four years—is a force to be reckoned with.

As we all know, the Kemosabe/RCA songstress has been at the center of some extremely trying (and highly publicized) legal battles since October 2014. The emotional turmoil she experienced is made abundantly clear in the self-assured song, which paints the former party-starting queen and chief wild child as a phoenix. Her strength and maturation, and the tasteful manner in which she addresses her demons, are undeniable.

At press time, “Praying” is #2 at iTunes. The tune—co-written with Ryan Lewis, Ben Abraham and Andrew Joslyn, and produced by Lewis (of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis)—is garnering glowing reviews and has been well-received at radio so far. It’s also #1 on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, and the video, which dropped in tandem with the song’s release last night, is approaching 5m views.

If you’ll recall, Kesha went on tour last year to perform an array of unique covers for fans when she wasn’t able to perform or release her own music. During that time, she revealed that 22 songs had been recorded and that she was working on an album. We now know that the 14-track Rainbow is due on 8/11. According to RCA, the forthcoming full-length (now up for pre-order) boasts a roster of collaborators ranging from Eagles of Death Metal to Dolly Parton. Ben Folds apparently produced the title track with Kesha, and Ricky Reed produced and wrote numerous tracks as well.