Recording New Album Was ‘Way to Cope’ With Depression

Kesha credited a strict recording routine with helping her cope with depression. “I would roll out of bed, get in my car and show up to the studio,” the pop singer said. “And I would just keep making songs. That was my way to cope.” The end result, her forthcoming album Rainbow, is due out August 11th.

Kesha never directly referenced her ongoing legal battle with Sony and producer Dr. Luke, whom she has accused of sexual assault and battery. However, she admitted that her dream of making a new album is what kept her going through the past four years. “It makes me want to cry because it feels really surreal,” she said of announcing the LP.

The singer also confronted her depression in the music video for her new single, “Praying.” In a sobering monologue, she asked, “Am I dead, or is this one of those dreams, those horrible dreams that seem like they last forever?” She admitted that while while she’s contemplated suicide, it shouldn’t be “taboo” to address those dark human emotions in song.

“I wrote a song about it, so let’s talk about it,” she said. “I think it’s healthy to talk about feeling really down sometimes because life can be a really horrible sometimes. And I think the beautiful part is that you hold onto hope and you keep showing up for yourself.”

Kesha acknowledged that while her fans are rooting a comeback hit with Rainbow – her first album 2012’s Warrior – she’s risen above commercial pressure.

“I felt the pressure writing the music,” she said. “I knew in my brain what I wanted it to sound like and look like and everything … Now we’ve done the art and the photo shoot and all the songs and the masters and mixes, and I played on this and wrote a bunch of songs all by myself. The whole thing was this brainchild of mine that I worked on for however many years, and now that it’s done I can’t care.”