"Praying" is a song by American singer and songwriter Kesha. It was made available for digital download by Kemosabe Records on July 6, 2017, as the lead single from her third studio album, Rainbow. The track originated from Ryan Lewis, who contacted Kesha and offered her an early version of the song. "Praying" was written by the singer with Ben Abraham, Andrew Joslyn, and its producer, Lewis, and co-produced by Jon Castelli. Musically, the song is a gospel and soul-influenced pop piano ballad that features minimal production and accompaniment from strings, such as cellos, backing vocals, and drums. Inspired by suicidal thoughts she has had in the past, Kesha said that "Praying" is about hoping that anyone, even abusers, can heal. "Praying" was written to showcase the singer's vocal range and to represent her as a person, and also features her nearly screaming at the top of her register.
"Praying" received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised Kesha's vocals while calling the song powerful and noting it as a departure from her previous efforts. Commentators offered conflicting interpretations of the song's message; some felt that "Praying" was about forgiveness, while others thought that Kesha displayed anger on the track. Commercially, "Praying" reached the top 10 in Australia, the top 20 in Canada, Hungary, and Scotland, and the top 30 in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It was certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling five million equivalent units in the United States. "Praying" was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.
An accompanying music video for "Praying" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund and was released simultaneously with the single. It features Kesha at Salvation Mountain along with various religious symbolism, both Christian and Hindu. The clip received a generally positive response from critics and was often compared to Beyoncé's visual album Lemonade (2016). To promote the song, Kesha performed it live on multiple occasions, including her Rainbow Tour (2017–2019), at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Festival, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, and the 60th Annual Grammy Awards. Critics praised Kesha's live performances.
Background and release
From July to October 2016, Kesha embarked on her third world tour, Kesha and the Creepies: Fuck the World Tour, where she performed various cover versions of songs and several rock and country reworkings of her own material. During this time, the singer wrote multiple songs for what would become her third studio album Rainbow (2017). Producer Ryan Lewis began working on the lyrics and production of "Praying" while he was on tour over a year before its release. He felt that the ballad would be suitable for a female artist, with his wife suggesting that Kesha should sing it. Lewis subsequently contacted the singer's management and Kesha later accepted the offer due to her fondness for his work with Macklemore, particularly admiring how their discography featured a mix of "fun" and politically progressive songs. Lewis came to Kesha with a "rough idea" for the song and encouraged her to do whatever she wanted on the track. When she belted out a whistle note, she surprised him; Lewis later said it was one of his favorite moments to occur in a studio. "Praying" was completed two days after Kesha began working on it. Lewis said that his ambitions when writing the song were to showcase the singer's vocal range and represent her as a person, eventually feeling that the finished track accomplished both goals.
In a radio interview with SiriusXM, Kesha revealed that "Praying" deals with her past suicidal thoughts. On the same occasion, she said that she feels it is healthy to discuss such emotions, and that "[she] think[s] the beautiful part is that you hold onto hope [...] and you keep showing up for yourself." Prior to its release, the singer premiered "Praying" and four other songs from Rainbow at a press playback in London. There, she expressed her feelings about the song, saying: "I've never been more excited about a piece of art I've ever done in my entire life. This is truly from the inside of my guts." Kesha later announced the single's release in a video aimed at her fans. In an accompanying letter posted to Lena Dunham's feminist blog Lenny Letter, she wrote about the meaning of the track: "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."
Composition and lyrical interpretation
"Praying" is a pop piano ballad written by Kesha, Ryan Lewis, Ben Abraham, and Andrew Joslyn that features elements of gospel and soul music. The song was produced by Lewis and is written in the key of G minor, with a moderately slow tempo of 74 beats per minute. Vox's Caroline Framke felt that the track was a departure from the "dive bar party anthems" which Kesha has become known for. The song's production is minimal, with Kesha joined on the track by violins, violas, strings, cellos, "distant" backing vocals and drums. Dan Weiss of Billboard deemed "Prayings arrangement "unfashionable" and said the song does not sound like contemporary music. The chorus of "Praying" features Kesha singing "I hope you're somewhere praying, praying/ I hope your soul is changing, changing/ I hope you find your peace falling on your knees, praying." The refrain has been described as "soaring but simple" by Spencer Kornhaber of The Atlantic, in the vein of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" (2002) and Lady Gaga's "Til It Happens to You" (2015).
According to Kesha, "Praying" is "about hoping everyone, even someone who hurt you, can heal." The song addresses a tormentor with the lyrics: "You brought the flames and you put me through hell/ I had to learn how to fight for myself/ And we both know all the truth I could tell/ I'll just say this: I wish you farewell." The Atlantics Kornhaber thought that the track's message was "love your enemies" and displayed "Christlike grace", further noting that Kesha did not exude invulnerability on "Praying" the way she did in some of her previous songs, like "Dinosaur" (2010). Similarly, Eve Barlow of Variety said that Kesha "pushes through her demons and possesses a remarkable level of empathy and understanding" on the track. Conversely, Pitchforks Jillian Mapes felt that the song's sentiments were akin to "telling the person who ruined your life to 'take care' when you really mean 'fuck you, while Billboards Weiss interpreted the recording as a "coded threat that [Kesha] will no longer be silenced." According to Tatiana Cirisano of the same publication, "While the chorus aims for reconciliation with an unnamed listener...there's still a flicker of anger in the singer's words, like in the lyric '...When I'm finished, they won't even know your name.
The Guardian, The Atlantic, MTV UK, and Complex each reported that the song was about Dr. Luke, the producer whom Kesha accused of sexually assaulting and emotionally abusing her in a lawsuit, although the song never mentions Dr. Luke by name. Kornhaber felt that the song's opening lyrics — "You almost had me fooled / Told me that I was nothing without you" — recall the singer's allegation that Dr. Luke told her: "You are not that pretty, you are not that talented, you are just lucky to have me....You are nothing without me." Weiss of Billboard found the track similar to Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" (1995), which "empowered women to...call out men's abuses," "A Torch" (1998), a song about a vengeful rape victim from Sarge's album The Glass Intact, and Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" (2009), which deals with the singer's assault at the hands of Chris Brown.
Kesha has said that "Praying" "showcases [her] voice in a way [it] has never been showcased in [her] entire life." According to sheet music published by Musicnotes.com, her vocals on the track span from the low note of D3 to the high note of F6. Mapes of Pitchfork noted that Kesha's voice on "Praying" is less digitally manipulated than on her past material. Three minutes and 14 seconds into the track, she sings at the top of her register, nearly screaming in a manner reminiscent of Mariah Carey. The song's high note was compared to Demi Lovato's vocal performance on "Skyscraper" (2011) and Sia's vocal performance on "Alive" (2015) by Billboards Weiss. Ryan Dunn, writing for The United Methodist Church, thought that the story of Jonah is woven throughout "Praying" and that for both Kesha and Jonah, prayer was instrumental in bringing them through distress.
Critical reception and accolades "Praying" received universal acclaim from music critics, who positively regarded it as a departure from Kesha's past work and public image, and called it a great comeback. Maria Sherman of Complex thought the track was "more purposeful than the music that made [Kesha] famous. Those looking to make pop music with real resonance would be wise to look to this song, and whatever Kesha does next." Forbes Hugh McIntyre labelled "Praying" "very important", adding that "[Kesha] will have no trouble collecting many new fans as she enters this next phase of her career." Issy Sampson of The Guardian noted that the recording was to Kesha's oeuvre what "Fighter" (2003) was to Aguilera's. The New York Times Jon Pareles described "Praying" as "a perfectly aimed missile of revenge and career rebooting." HuffPosts Daniel Welsh wrote that it was an "empowering and haunting ballad" which "may come as something of a surprise to more casual Kesha listeners, who are perhaps more used to hearing her glittery songs about partying and having a good time." According to Matthew Rozsa of Salon, "'Praying' is likely to be remembered as the moment when Ke$ha became Kesha — that is, when her overproduced image of a party girl transformed into that of a soulful artist". Caroline Framke of Vox said that "as Kesha embraces her pain and rage, the song becomes something much more intense and weird and furious and hopeful — something that feels much more like Kesha herself."