by Kerry Torpey on November 15, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
by Anne DeLello ’20
A&E Staff
As Kesha wrapped up her Rainbow tour this October, she reflected on how far she has come in recent years. After she produced the album in 2017, she spent the summer touring the United States and Australia with Macklemore. In the midst of this tour, Kesha produced a short film, titled Rainbow, about her experiences creating the album, and her own anxiety about returning to the stage.
It is not a typical documentary-style film. Instead of Kesha speaking to the viewer or interviewer head-on, the movie shows scenes of her underwater, walking, or laying down as voiceovers narrate to the viewer. Among the more artistic scenes in the short film, there are scenes that show Kesha coming up with her new music, particularly the process of how she created the song “Rainbow.” Kesha chooses to feature her music throughout the video, playing songs such as, “Bastards,” “Rainbow,” and “Praying.” As she plays “Rainbow,” Kesha describes how she began making the album, and that, when she did so, she felt like a “new artist.” She goes on to say, “This is the album I’ve always dreamt of making.” She also credits her fans in her return to the stage, referring to them as being her motivation saying, “they stood up for me when I couldn’t stand up for myself.”
Not only does the film explore the process of making her album, but it also addresses the mindset that drove her to write it. She says, “When I wrote Rainbow, I was in a very dark place. I was alone, and I was scared.” Kesha explains to the audience that when she first started making Rainbow, she was in rehab recovering from a severe eating disorder and was only allowed access to a keyboard for one hour every day. Fast forward to the completion of the album, where Kesha is nominated for her first ever Grammy, and is asked to perform at the event. Though it was a source of anxiety for her, she gave a powerful and memorable performance of her song “Praying.”
Fans are now asking what’s next for Kesha as she wraps up her tour within two months of releasing her short film. She was named to the Times 100 Most Influential People this past year, and is focusing on “happiness” as she moves forward. Kesha has been able to succeed in her recent ventures despite her ongoing lawsuit with Dr. Luke, and hopefully will continue to do so in the coming years as she continues to produce music.