Kesha has debuted the emotional video for the debut track from her first album in five years.
The song, Praying, comes from forthcoming album Rainbow and appears to indirectly reference her legal battle with former producer Dr Luke.
She sued Dr Luke in 2014 and accused him of of drugging, sexually abusing and emotionally tormenting her. He vehemently denied the allegations and countersued.
Praying begins with Kesha speaking: “Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams, those horrible dreams that seem like they last forever?”
She continues: “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?
“Please just let me die, being alive hurts too much.”
The singer also penned an article about her new album for Lena Dunham’s website Lenny Letter.
She wrote of Praying: “This song is about coming to feel empathy for someone else even if they hurt you or scare you.
“It’s also about hoping everyone, even someone who hurt you, can heal.”
She added: “I’ve battled intense anxiety and depression, a relentless eating disorder, and all the other basic bullshit that comes with being human.
“I know I’m not alone in that battle.
“Finding the strength to come forward about these things is not easy, but I want to help others who are going through tough times.”
At a preview of Rainbow in London, Kesha also talked about some of the other tracks on the album.
Talking about title track Rainbow, which she wrote while in treatment for an eating disorder, she said: “I was in a really sad place. It is the first song I wrote … on my floor not knowing whether I would make it … and this was a promise to myself that we were going to make it.”
She labelled US President Donald Trump as “gross” as she introduced a feminist anthem inspired by the Republican’s remarks about grabbing women by the pussy.
She said: “I know everyone is feeling Donald Trump around the world and his illness.
“This song was prompted by the grabbing of the pussy comment. It made me so infuriated as a hardcore feminist … I was like I’m going to write a song about this.”
:: Rainbow will be released on August 11.
