When Tik Tok came, a new singer was already making her way to teens’ playlist. She came with some of the biggest singles during that time.
Yes, we are talking about Kesha.
After four years of struggle, the singer has finally made a comeback. 2017 has been quite successful for Kesha as the lawsuit with Dr. Luke took a positive turn for her. Eight months into this year, the singer has finally released her EP “Rainbow”.
The title “Rainbow” is quite apt for the album. Kesha has chosen the themes of struggle and overcoming it and has portrayed the different phases one goes through during the transition. She has bared her soul and as one moves through tracks, one realizes that the singer is completely unapologetic for who she has turned out to be.
The singer has picked on religious themes and has used them to showcase her hopelessness and frustration but at the same time, she can be seen attempting to revive her soul. Did she succeed? Completely!
Check out our review for tracks from the album:
Bastards
The title gives an impression that “Bastards” would be some an energetic song through which the singer would lash out at her critics. But as it turned out, this single has an acoustic tune that conveys the message anger is too much of an effort for the haters.
They say those who swear are honest in their opinions. Kesha made sure not to just bare her soul but to do it in the most genuine way she knows.
As mentioned earlier, she is calm but not polite. Her message to her listener is clear “don’t let the bastards get you down”.
Hunt You Down
In terms of theme, this song is quite unrelated to the other tracks on the album. The song talks about a girl who has put forth a warning to her lover
“Just know, that if you fuck around
Boy, I’ll hunt you down”.
People think that it’s easy to get away with cheating but Kesha, through this song, is trying to convey that betrayal can bring the worst out of even the most docile souls.
When one hears the song, the first thing that comes to mind is cowboy’s music. But somewhere, the beats and guitar strummings give “Hunt You Down” a touch of traveler’s music which in turn gives an impression that Kesha wants her message to travel like folklore to people around the world.
Let’ Em Talk
Carrying on the theme of “Bastards”, Let’ Em Talk is a self-appreciating song. The emphasis of content in this song is on “self” and why it’s important to keep it before others. Kesha yet again has made use of words that are typically not found in lyrics.
As mentioned by Genius, the expression “suck my dick” is repeated but the repetition seems deliberate. Cursing till now usually seems to be belonging to male territory but by constantly using them in her lyrics, Kesha is invading and trying to blur the lines.
Heavily laden with guitar, the song is a proper rock track. While Bastards was a message for critics, Let Em’ Talk is a song for her fans.
Spaceship
Lana Del Ray comes to mind when one listens to the track. But there is just a tinge of Del Ray’s trance. The song is much more than that. Congruent to the title, the sound of “Spaceship” belongs somewhere beyond this world. Kesha has set a dichotomy here. She does not want to be the part of “this world” because she does not seem to be belonging to it.
She might have been born here but her home is somewhere else, somewhere she can find peace and the only way to reach there is via her “spaceship”.
This track is the highlight of the album. The anger and frustration the singer has been hiding within her being for years have poured into the lyrics. The music is dreamy because the only escape from alienation is the utopian world she has created in her mind.
Finding You
“Finding You” is a simple love song. Finally finding the love of her life, the singer is trying to assure him that she is going to keep her promise of being with him “forever”. One dies but for Kesha, other worlds exist in all these worlds, she will try and find her lover.
The song can be seen together with “Hunt You Down”. Kesha is ready to love her beloved forever but the only condition is that he should not “fuck around” and cheat her.
Godzilla
If we refer to the dictionary, Godzilla is “particularly enormous example of something”. What is Kesha referring to? If we read the lyrics carefully, Godzilla seems to be a metaphor for someone who is considered to be intimidating to other people. But Kesha is in love with him.
The beauty of “Rainbow” lies in its constant emphasis on the beauty of one’s self-irrespective of size, class, color or any other societal parameter. Godzilla might scare people but there will always be someone who will see him for who he is.
In terms of music, the song sounds a bit like a lullaby. Is Kesha trying to instill the lesson of love is what matters through her song? Possibly.
Hymn
It should have carried a tune of church chorus but had it carried that tune, it would not have been Kesha’s song. She has taken on a religious term to talk about earthly problems.
Kesha declares that her song is “a hymn for hymnless, children with no religion”. This hopelessness in the structure of religion brings Troye Sivan’s “Heaven” in mind. The existence of God is recognized but an individual’s relationship with God is put into question.
Kesha gives an answer. Let’s pray for the energy and not for the structure. Let’s evade it and create a story of our own.
The only thing that makes it correlate with the hymn (as a religious term) is the song’s positivity. The song is a reaffirmation that everyone is important and one should not let negativity kill one’s vibes. The low-synth sound makes this track sound beautiful.
After Spaceship, this is our second favorite track from the album.
Woman
Kesha slayed “Woman”. Last month, the singer released the music video for the single.
While talking about the song in an interview with Rolling Stone, she said,
“I just really fucking love being a woman and I wanted an anthem for anyone else who wants to yell about being self-sufficient and strong.
To me, the thing I’m most proud of is that the song and video never lost the pure joy from the day it was birthed.”
While most of the songs in the album have depth and a laid back tone, this single displays Kesha’s vocal prowess. The impact of the message can easily be sensed in Kesha’s voice. She is unapologetic for being a woman and wants others to do the same.
As she says, “I pay my bill” and no one can “buy my love”. The song is an anthem for girls who are constantly told that they need a man to survive in this world. Kesha thinks otherwise.
Learning to Let Go
Continuing with the theme of religion, Kesha yet again picked terminologies and practices from Christianity. The beats’ thumping of this song is really strong and send across some good vibes.
As Kesha said in an interview, the song is a gift for her fans that stood up for her and with her in all these years.
Lyrically too, the song is quite powerful. As Lady Gaga once said, you won’t know how it feels till it happens to you but the decision and courage to overcome the pain and stand up also lies with one’s self. People won’t understand as Kesha says in “Let’ Em Talk” but she does not care. She has learned to let go. This realization took some time but it finally dawned upon the singer, something which becomes evident in her letter she wrote to her 18-years old self.
Rainbow
While talking to Refinery 29, Kesha said,
“I was in a very dark place. I was alone and scared in rehab for an eating disorder that had gotten wildly out of control. At first, they wouldn’t let me have any kind of instrument either. […] I remember I begged and begged, until they finally agreed I could have a keyboard for one hour a day.
Every day I sat there on the floor and played. This is how the song “Rainbow” came to be. The whole album idea and tour and everything, came from me crying and singing and playing and dreaming until my hour was up and they took the keyboard away again. Every day I would just cry and play that song because I knew I had to get through that incredibly hard time.”
The song is a testimony to her struggle. It’s a portrayal of her “self” post-depression. Self-acceptance and love can be read on and between the lines. Heavily laden with instruments, the song has a dramatic tone which really suits it. The transition has been difficult for Kesha and it can be felt in every chord and note of this heart wrenching single.
The other singles from the album including “Praying”, “Boots”, “Emotional” and “Old Flames” have their own magic. They add to the beauty of the album. In our opinion, Kesha’s has made quite a powerful comeback with “Rainbow”.
Which song is your favorite? Tell us via tweet @CelebMix.
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