Since 2013, Kesha has been locked in a legal battle with her former producer Dr. Luke, a man whom she accuses of physical, sexual, verbal and emotional abuse while they worked together on his record label. In return, the former CEO of Sony’s Kemosabe Records sued Kesha and her mother for breach of contract and defamation. The on-going battle against her abuser and his music production corporation, as well as the emotional toll of the ordeal, had since prevented Kesha from releasing any new music; until now. him.

A masterpiece of struggle and rebirth, the release of single Praying is Kesha’s triumphant return to music since the legal battle began. The Praying music video opens with a monologue by Kesha. “Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams. Those horrible dreams, that seem like they last forever… If I am alive, why?” Kesha accompanied with the black-and-white visual of Kesha laying on debris in the middle of the ocean, speaks to the horrifying ordeal she has had to deal with for years. But, as the colour returns to the music video we realize that the battle over Kesha’s own agency and voice has been won — she has struggled and taken it back for herself. The music video—both somber and celebratory — mixes her bohemian aesthetics of past music videos with a new found religiosity. Kesha is no longer the musician she once was. With a serious and powerful tone. Praying shows a different take on women taking on their abusers. Taking away his power over her, she thanks him: “Oh, but after everything you’ve done/I can thank you for how strong I have become.” She even prays for him: “Oh, sometimes I pray for you at night/ Someday, maybe you’ll see the light.” Kesha is not a women scorned, she turns inward to heal and reflect.

Praying is an act of healing just as much as it is an act of bravery. By proving her pain and struggle against an abuser and abuse-enabling production company has not ruined her; Kesha has only made herself stronger.