Rainbows & Redemption: Kesha On Her Most Important Album Yet

Looking at Kesha Sebert now verses five years ago, it's easy to see the difference. Gone is the girl with a face covered in glitter, replaced by a woman that has endured, survived and then thrived following a brutally public few years.

Listening to Sebert now compared to her breakthrough hit, Tik Tok, the sound couldn't be further apart. She's reconnected to her roots, bringing together a mix of country, pop and rock to produce one of the most acclaimed albums of 2017.

Rainbow, her third album and first since 2012's Warrior, is Sebert's most honest and vulnerable foray into song writing yet. While the narrative of the album could have easily become dark and forlorn it instead offers a tale of triumph, told with grace, strength, and at times, humour. When asked if it was a deliberate decision to keep the mood light in places, Sebert replies that it wasn't intentional.

"On this album, I really didn't have any expectations or any plan. Every day I just wanted to go in and write something that felt honest, and I thought less about the audience as I have in the past. Of course, I always want to make my fans happy but this album was different in that I really just wanted to write something for myself, for my soul, and not really think about what the world would think about it after it was done," she shares.

"I wrote this album for myself but it's dedicated to my fans. This album would not exist if it wasn't for my fan's unwavering support over the last few years. It is only their love that got me out of bed every day and pushed me into the studio. When I play these songs live, I tell them that every night and it's a huge celebration every night. My shows have always been a fun-filled, glitter extravaganza but now they also are overflowing with love and meaning. My fans and I made this together!"

"At my really low moments, my fans never stopped writing to me and encouraging me. I can't tell you how much that meant to me. Especially receiving handwritten letters and pictures from people; I love them all. I try to speak up for those who feel like outcasts in life because that's how I have always felt and I think that really resonates with some people. We are like a tribe of animals - we are stronger together."

The shift in sound was, in part, powered by the collaborations that help shape the record. Listening to the album's first single, Praying - a song Sebert says is "about redemption, about never giving up on yourself, and forgiving those who have hurt you" - it was apparent early on that this record would be different from Sebert's earlier works.

"Writing this album, I tried to make music that sounded more like the music I listen to for pleasure. I've studied the music of the '60s and '70s my whole life but always felt intimidated to try to make music the way my idols did," she shares. "On this record I said, 'Fuck it, I'm going to try to make songs the way that bands like The Beach Boys and Iggy Pop did and see what happens'. I can't predict who is going to like something, but I was proud that I really tried to make this whole album relying mainly on real instruments and minimising the amount of computer sounds on the songs."

"I've definitely grown as an artist but that wild spirit from my youth has never and will never fade," explains Sebert when asked how her older tracks will fit in with her new repertoire. "Many of those early pop songs I wrote have the same 'don't give a fuck' mentality as the faster more Stooges, punk-influenced songs on Rainbow. When I play those old songs live now, I have reinterpreted them with my band into more dirty rock 'n' roll songs... Come to my show to check it out. I love playing my old hits like Tik Tok and We R Who We R and we play them with an intensity and drive that, in my mind, takes them to the next level."

Working with the likes of Eagles Of Death Metal, Ryan Lewis, The Dap-Kings Horns, Ben Folds and the incomparable Dolly Parton for Rainbow was something certainly not lost on Sebert.

"I am honoured to have so many amazing collaborators on this album. Every one of them are friends or personal idols or both," she explains. "Working on this album was very organic and free flowing. I actually asked my friends Eagles Of Death Metal to play on my song Let 'Em Talk and then we were working and they heard Boogie Feet and they were like 'let's do that too!'. It was all very unplanned.

"Growing up in Tennessee, Dolly has been one of my idols for my entire life - ask me how many times I've been to Dollywood?... A lot! - and my mom wrote one of her hits and it's always been a dream for me to sing that song with her. I always thought it was just a dream but when she agreed to do a duet with me on Old Flames (Can't Hold A Candle To You) was one of the best days of my life."

One particular standout is the anthemic Woman, which focuses on the power of being female; a topic that is particularly relevant and timely in 2018. 

"I have always and I will always stand up for equality for all people on Earth. It doesn't matter what your skin colour is, your sexual preference, gender identity, or anything else. We all deserve to have the same basic human rights and opportunities as anyone else and I will stand up for that until the day I die," explains Sebert when asked how important she thinks songs like Woman are in empowering the next generation.

"I was inspired to write the song one day when I was feeling especially frustrated at having a President who has been so disrespectful to women. The song Woman was written from a place of strength because, you know what, women are the ones who create life. We are the ones who determine if the human race will continue for another generation or not. We are strong and we need to realise and assert our strength in the world."

What has followed the release of Rainbow has been a huge reaction from music critics and fans alike, rewarded with Grammy nominations for Best Vocal Pop Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.

"I am beyond humbled and honoured to be nominated and to be able to perform on the Grammy stage. It's even more special that the Recording Academy has chosen to include me for this album, which is the most honest and vulnerable album I've ever made," shares Sebert.

"I feel like I'm being seen as my true self by the world for the first time on this album and it's the greatest gift in the world to have it received so well. It's a testament to the power of just being yourself unapologetically."