“Am I dead?”

Thus, begins Kesha’s “Praying” video. She is lying in a casket with a huge cross behind her while two figures wearing the heads of pigs stand on either side. It cuts to a black-and-white image of her lying on wood floating on water. She questions a possible higher power about her suffering. The references to her suffering might be a reference to a civil court’s dismissal of her sexual assault, harassment, and gender violence allegations against music producer Dr. Luke.

The video, like the song, differs greatly from Kesha’s other videos. It purposefully showcases Kesha’s vulnerabilities by, quite literally, having her on her knees as if she were praying and having tears roll down her face. She no longer shows an uncaring attitude, as in “Tik Tok.” Emotion is in the spotlight of the video.

The costumes and props are all colorful and light, which works to contrast some of the scenes’ inherently melancholic components and helps with the transition to inspirational aspects of the video. Kesha paints her face with neon colors. Her costumes feature feathers, glitter, and butterflies. Many of the props are religious symbols such as crosses, candles, and angel wings. Mid-video, a variety of television screens show questions relating faith, truth, and God. Other similar messages appear in other parts of the video, such as “God is love.” “Standards of beauty”—Kesha has spoken about struggling with eating disorders in the past—is a phrase that pops out.

The video matches the music in that the song starts off lonely and questioning. We first see Kesha alone in the video, drifting on wood, and later walking by screens questioning God and beauty standards. Subsequently, she gets off the plank on the water when a colorful bird inspires her to stand, and she smashes the TV screens. It signifies her fighting for herself.

This video successfully works alongside the song to recognize hardship, yet simultaneously inspires advocacy for oneself. Kesha was not going to let herself die—unlike Taylor Swift.

—Staff writer Kamila Czachorowski can be reached at kamila.czachorowski@thecrimson.com.

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