Kesha made a triumphant return to music last August when she released Rainbow, her first album in five years. The record is significant and powerful for several reasons: Chiefly, it’s her first effort without production credits from Dr Luke, the hit-maker whom she sued for emotional and physical abuse in 2014. This lawsuit put Kesha’s music career in limbo for years; she was still contractually bound to Dr Luke’s label, Kemosabe, but didn’t want to work with him. And while Rainbow was released under Kemosabe — and a judge dismissed several of Kesha’s claims against Dr Luke in April 2016 — it’s still inspiring that Kesha made this record on her terms and her way for the first time ever. She persevered.
Her story feels especially poignant right now, given the shift happening in our culture. Last fall, millions of women used the #MeToo hashtag to share their stories of sexual misconduct; in early January, a group of women in Hollywood launched the Time’s Up movement to end harassment and gender inequality at work. Kesha came forward roughly three years before these movements began. She was standing on her own, but now she has an army rallying behind her.
And her performance at the 2018 Grammy Awards on Sunday (January 28) will reportedly reflect this: Ken Ehrlich, a producer for the Grammys, told Yahoo! that Kesha is performing her ballad ‘Praying’ at this year’s ceremony, and she’s making a big statement with it.
“I can tell you, obviously, that Kesha’s performance is definitely going to reflect what has happened to her in the past couple of years,” Ehrlich said. “‘Praying,’ that is what that song is all about, and that’s what she’s going to perform on the show. We are going to do something a little bit different with it. I think people will come away with the sense that we are supporting or allowing the artist to make a statement.”
If true, Kesha’s performance will no-doubt be one of many statements about #MeToo and Time’s Up made throughout the evening. Awards season this year has been less about glitz and more about raising sexual harassment awareness, which is incredible. The Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globes, and Critics’ Choice Awards were all filled with impactful speeches, and the Grammys should be no exception.
