Praying

Praying
Kesha
General information
Writer(s)	Andrew Joslyn Ben Abraham Kesha Sebert Ryan Lewis
Producer(s)	Ryan Lewis
Length	3:58 (Final) 3:45 (Demo)
Album
Single chronology
Previous	True Colors
Next	Good Old Days

"Praying" is a song performed by Kesha. It serves as the fifth track and lead single from Rainbow. It is her first solo single since 2013. The single was announced on July 5th, 2017 via Instagram in a video, with Kesha thanking her fans and revealing the title of her new song. The song and the music video were released the following day. Three remixes of "Praying" by Frank Walker, Oliver Nelson, and Tim Legend were released on September 29, 2017.

Background

In a letter she penned, Kesha described "Praying" as being written about "that moment when the sun starts peeking through the darkest storm clouds, creating the most beautiful rainbow".

“

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.

”

Accolades

Kesha being presented with the platinum plaque for "Praying" at the 2017 iHeart Radio Jingle Ball.

On the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Praying" peaked at the number 22 position on September 2, 2017. In terms of record sales, "Praying" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for 1 million single-equivalent sales on November 6, 2017. On November 28, 2017, "Praying" was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards, and is included as the sixteenth track on the 2018 GRAMMY® Nominees album.

Official versions

• Album version - 3:50
• Demo version - 3:45
• Frank Walker Remix - 2:59
• Oliver Nelson Remix - 3:57
• Tim Legend Remix - 3:38

Gallery

Artwork

Official cover

Remixes cover

Videos

Kesha - Praying (Behind The Scenes)

Kesha - Praying (Live Performance @ YouTube)

First live performance

Kesha Returns to Late Night TV with "Praying"

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon performance, 8/10/17

Kesha Performs Hit Song 'Praying'

The Ellen Show performance, 9/22/17

Kesha - Praying (Live from Honda Stage at Hollywood Palladium)

Rainbow Tour performance 11/1/17

Kesha - Praying (LIVE From The 60th GRAMMYs ©)

Grammys performance, 1/28/18

The Adventures of Kesha & Macklemore Tour - Ep.5- BTS - T-Mobile

Fans helping Kesha finish in an emotional performance on 7/11/18 in Cincinnati.

Kesha Orca Songs

Acoustic version, time-mark: 3:17

Music video

Music video	Information
	Released	July 6, 2017
	Length	4:59
	Director	Jonas Åkerlund
	Producer
	Filmed
	Location	Salvation Mountain, Niland, California The Salton Sea, California
	Vevo views	+100,009,295

The video was shot at Salvation Mountain, Niland, California, and the Salton Sea over the course of a single day. The outfits Kesha wore were inspired by the locations of the clip, as well as her fondness for vintage 1960s and 1970s clothing. The title cards in the video is stylized to resemble Hindi script.

The video begins with Kesha lying in a coffin with two men wearing suits and drooling pig masks standing on either side of her and a neon cross in the background. The video then cuts to her lying on a rafter in the middle of the ocean. During the first minute of the video, a voice over from Kesha plays saying: "Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams? Those horrible dreams that seem like they last forever? If I am alive, why? If there is a God or whatever, something, somewhere, why have I been abandoned by everyone and everything I've ever known? I've ever loved? Stranded. What is the lesson? What is the point? God, give me a sign, or I have to give up. I can't do this anymore. Please just let me die. Being alive hurts too much." The song behind and during the video, Kesha plays the piano while wearing a crown of thorns, angel wings and a scaly mermaid-looking suit, prays at an altar before a neon cross, and also chased by the men with pig masks. Kesha also walks by a wall of television sets with messages such as "the television will not be revolutionized", "weapons of mass deception", "do not engage," and "you're too thin" painted on them in red, with Kesha eventually destroying them. Shots of her crying black tears are interspersed throughout the main plot of the visual. At the song's climax, Kesha throws around colored powder in a manner similar to what is done during Holi, a Hindu festival which celebrates the victory of good over evil. The clip ends with the singer walking on water and text that says "the beginning".

The music video currently has over 100,000,000 views, making this her sixth video to reach this milestone as a solo artist.

Lyrics

[Music video intro]:
Am I dead or is this one of those dreams
Those horrible dreams
That seem like they last forever
If I am alive... why, why
If there's a God or whatever... something... somewhere
Why have I been abandoned by everyone and everything I've ever known... I've ever loved... stranded
What is the lesson
What is the point
God give me a sign or I have to give up
I can't do this anymore
Please just let me die
Being alive hurts too much

Well you almost had me fooled
Told me that I was nothing without you
Oh and after everything you've done
I can thank you for how strong I have become

'Cause 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 is I wish you farewell

I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'
I hope your soul is changin', changin'
I hope you find your peace
Fallin' on your knees prayin'

I'm proud of who I am
No more monsters I can breathe again
And you said that I was done
Well you were wrong and now the best is yet to come

'Cause I can make it on my own
And I don't need you I found a strength I've never known
I've been thrown out I've been burned
When I'm finished they won't even know your name

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 is I wish you farewell

I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'
I hope your soul is changin', changin'
I hope you find your peace
Falling on your knees prayin'

Oh sometimes, I pray for you at night
Oh someday maybe you'll see the light
Oh some say in life you gonna get what you give
But some things only God can forgive

I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'
I hope your soul is changin', changin'
I hope you find your peace
Fallin' on your knees prayin'

Credits

Produced by	Ryan Lewis for Ryan Lewis Productions LLC
Strings Composed, Arranged & Conducted by	Andrew Joslyn
Violins by	Andrew Joslyn, Sarah Malstrom, Garrett Overcash, Andrew Kam, Heather Borror
Violas by	Seth May-Patterson, Christopher Foerstel
Celli by	Eli Weinberger, Rebecca Chung-Filice
Backing Vocals by	All Our Exes Live in Texas: Hannah-Crofts, Georgia Mooney, Elana Stone, Katherine Wighton
Engineered by	Billy Centenaro at The Village, Los Angeles, CA; by Antonia Gauci at Studios 301, Australia; & by Justin Armstrong at Robert Lang Studios, Shoreline, WA
Mixed by	Jon Castelli at Mirrorball Studios, North Hollywood, CA
Assistant Engineer for Mix	Ingmar Carlson
Assisted by	Ryan Nasci