- Yes! - ♪ (high pitched note) ♪
- Are we listening to that note?
Oh, my god!
♪ (punk rock music) ♪
- (Kesha) Am I dead?
Or is this one of those dreams?
Why have I been abandoned... - What is this?
- I don't recognize this at all.
- (Kesha) Why have I been abandoned... - Is this Kesha?
- (Kesha) ...by everyone and everything I've ever known?
Please just let me die. - Oh.
- (Kesha) Being alive hurts too much.
- This is really depressing.
♪ (soft piano ballad) ♪ - (gasping)
Oh, is this Kesha's new music video?
I haven't seen this yet.
- Oh, I have not seen Kesha's new stuff.
All I remember is "Tick Tock."
- I haven't actually seen this yet, but I was like,
"Yes, Kesha, she's back!"
- ♪ Well, you almost had me fooled ♪
- "Praying."
- How long has it been since Kesha's actually put out new music?
- If she's releasing new music, that means she had
to get away from her other producer.
Oh, that's good.
- ♪ ...nothing without you ♪ - I love her voice.
- ♪ Oh, but after everything you've done ♪
- Those vocals.
- There's obviously a message here that I'm totally missing.
- ♪ I can thank you for how strong I have become ♪
- I love the whole glittery angel get-up.
- ♪ 'Cause you brought the flames... ♪ - Outfit on point.
- I love that she's keeping it still herself
with the wild outfits and stuff.
- ♪ I hope you're somewhere prayin' ♪
- Oh, see, I never knew Kesha could actually kind of sing.
- ♪ I hope your soul is changin' ♪
♪ I'm proud of who I am ♪
- This is different from her old music.
- Oh, this is so different from "Tick Tock" already.
- ♪ No more monsters, I can breathe again ♪
- I love how her voice is very raspy, very unique.
- ♪ And when you said I was done ♪
♪ Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come ♪
- Yes!
- ♪ 'Cause I can make it on my own ♪
- Yes, girl.
- Oh my gosh. That's beautiful. - ♪ And I don't need you ♪
♪ I found a strength I've never known ♪
- Yes, get those-- get that anger out, Kesha.
- ♪ I found a strength I've never known ♪
- The lyrics, I could just feel each and every one of them,
just punching me with feeling.
- ♪ And we both know all the truth ♪
♪ I could tell ♪ - It's a really good song.
- ♪ ...I wish you farewell ♪
♪ I hope you're somewhere prayin' ♪
- Yes.
- ♪ Prayin' ♪
♪ I hope your soul is changin' ♪
- My god, this is so good.
- Her songs are good, but this is some real talent.
- ♪ I pray for you at night ♪
♪ But some things only God can forgive ♪
- Yes! - ♪ (high pitched note) ♪
Are we listening to that note?
Oh, my god!
- ♪ (high pitched note) ♪
- Her vocal range is insane.
- ♪ (high pitched note) ♪ - Damn, I'm so in love with this.
- ♪ (high pitched note) ♪ - Oh!
That high pitched vocal.
- ♪ (high pitched note) ♪
- I love that, that scream-- (laughing) it's the high pitch,
I get chills.
- ♪ Prayin' ♪
- Dang.
- ♪ Changin' ♪
♪ Changin' ♪ - Whoa.
- I'm so proud of her. (sighing)
- ♪ I hope you find your peace ♪ - Yes, girl.
- ♪ Falling on your knees, prayin' ♪
- I love Kesha.
- I like the message. It's good.
- She's walking on water!
- "The beginning." Ooh!
- Wonderful. 10 out of 10.
- It's a very liberating video.
It's being able to be open with yourself
and discovering who you are and being comfortable with that.
- To see someone come from something that was so bad
and a hard life, to just being a better self,
it's just so amazing to see.
- I'm so proud of her and just how far she's come,
and this video just proves how powerful and strong she is.
Oh, my god! I love her.
- ♪ I buy my own things, I pay my own bills ♪
♪ Everything I got, I bought it ♪
♪ Boys can't buy my love ♪
- I'm always bopping to this in the morning
when I'm getting ready, like, yes.
- ♪ I'm a mother[bleep] woman ♪ - I love it already.
- ♪ I don't need a man... ♪ - She's a mother[bleep] woman.
- ♪ ...to be holding me too tight ♪
- (singing along) ♪ ...mother[bleep] woman ♪
(giggling) This is amazing.
- ♪ I'm just having fun with my ladies here tonight ♪
♪ I'm a mother[bleep] ♪
- This is definitely more Kesha-esque.
- Now this is like the old Kesha right here.
- ♪ Let's drive around town in my Cadillac ♪
♪ Girls in the front, boys in the back ♪
♪ Loosey as a goosey (playful laugh) and we're looking... ♪
- There's that Kesha laugh that's always in her song.
- I like her little laughing vocals.
- ♪ I'm a mother[bleep] woman, baby, that's right ♪
- I like her confidence.
Her confidence is what gives this video its vibe.
- She just seems so happy with this music she's putting out
and I love it.
- She's become a new person, and I'm love with this person.
- ♪ Don't buy me a drink, I make my money ♪
♪ Don't touch my weave, don't call me honey ♪
- (laughing) "Don't touch my weave."
(chuckling) You go, Kesha.
- ♪ I'm a mother[bleep] ♪
- I feel like this is totally a song I would play with my squad.
- When the boys play with your hearts, ladies,
this is the song you put on.
- ♪ Yeah ♪ (laughter) - I love her.
- (laughter continuing)
- I think I found my new anthem.
- I don't know where that came from.
That was just amazing.
You go, girl, damn!
- You could tell she really poured her soul
into the music that she's doing right now,
and she's standing for something with it and I love it.
- The way that she can go from making a video
that's very, you know, serious to a video
that's also serious, but also has a different way
of expressing that seriousness, it's cool.
- I'm so excited for this new era.
I cannot believe this is who she is now
and I'm pumped for this.
- (FBE) So those were a couple of recently released music videos
from the artist Kesha.
How would you describe her music now
compared to how you would have described her music in the past?
- Well, from what I've heard, it is vastly different.
Her old music has mostly to do with partying.
- In the beginning, you know, she was getting her start
so it was very manufactured and she was the party girl.
- Back then, her songs, they're really catchy
but I feel like they didn't really have a meaning.
- I'm a guy, right, and that video made me hype for a woman.
It was very good. It was really, really good.
- She's sort of been through a lot, especially with the scandal
that went on with her producer and stuff,
but now she's took what's happened to her in the past
and she's made this whole different person for herself,
and it's still who she is, but she's added this new emotion
and experience to it, and it's made this huge growth
for her career that I'm so excited for.
- (FBE) So despite her huge success in the past,
this is actually her first solo music in four years.
- Wow, it's already been that long?
I'm old.
- (FBE) During that time, there was a legal battle
where Kesha's contract was exclusive to work with her producer,
who she claims physically and mentally abused her.
- Oh.
- (FBE) Very controversially, the lawsuits were dismissed,
and they forced her to stay in that contract.
- That's [bleep]. What?!
- Aww, that sucks!
- Oh, that makes me sick!
That just-- oh, that fires me up so much.
- (FBE) She has since returned and that producer
is no longer heading that label, so the first song
we played you, "Praying," seem to have lyrics
of empowerment related to that incident.
So what do you think about her comeback,
knowing the history behind it?
- Well, good for you, Kesha 'cause that's super [bleep].
- I'm really happy for her that she was able to overcome
such an awful thing, and to put out a song
about it is really cool.
- In the music videos now, she seems happier, more free.
It's good that she's finding a way to acknowledge
what happened in a way, but be like, I'm done with that now.
This is a new person, new me.
- The fact that she decided to make a song about it
really shows how powerful she is now.
She's not hiding from the fact.
She's just saying I am who I am now.
- She just didn't see the situation and let it destroy her.
She just stood up and took charge and now probably has
a wonderful career ahead of her.
- She's almost speaking to the producer through "Praying,"
just kind of saying you've tried to hold me back
and tear me down, but, honestly, I'm not gonna take that shit,
and this is who I am now and I'm going
to make something great out of this.
And that's exactly what she did,
and I could not be more proud of her, honestly,
and it's like, yeah, you [bleep] yell at him
right in his face with this song.
- (FBE) So what do you think about how Kesha
not only came back from all of this, but was not afraid
to address these things in the music,
and what do you think that could mean for listeners
who have gone through similar things personally or professionally?
- I think it's really important because if you don't
say anything about it, nothing's going to get fixed.
- She expresses how she feels and I think if she does that,
then maybe other people are going to be more open
into expressing how they feel.
- It shows them that they're not alone,
that there's other people that have gone through similar things,
and similar people that also can relate.
- The fact that she can feel free to speak so openly
about a time that was really hard in her life
and that was so closed off and so restraining,
but now having a chance to actually voice that
is fantastic because there are some people right now
who can't voice their opinions without maybe being physically hurt.
- Celebrities, people think, are just these aliens
who all have perfect lives, but they're not.
They go through the same exact things we do,
and it's just important that people can have a role model
to look up to that, you know, hey, I'm in this bad place,
but that doesn't mean I can't get to a good place later.
- There's a lot of stigma when it comes to sexual abuse
or sexual assault because it's like, no,
let's just keep that all hidden under the carpet
and not talk about it, but because she's so in the mainstream
and she's like, that's gonna be one of my singles,
is this song with that powerful message.
Even if you've gone through similar experiences,
you can get through it just like I did
and just make something beautiful.
- (FBE) So finally, Kesha's new album, Rainbow,
will be releasing in August.
So with her new sound, do you think that
she's going to be as successful as she was before?
- Yeah, I think so.
I mean, based off those two songs,
I already think I'm gonna listen to it.
- I think she will, yeah.
I mean, everyone loves a good comeback.
- She's gonna be WAY more successful
because these songs were so good.
It leaves you speechless and, yeah, she's going to do amazing.
- Anything made by anyone known nowadays
can create such a community around them,
especially if there's such a strong theme behind it,
and Kesha definitely has that.
- I think she'll be more successful, honestly,
'cause just those two songs, everyone got so excited over
and I have not heard a negative thing.
- She's going to be even more successful.
She's not going to just be a one-hit wonder
or, hey, that's that one song.
She's going to be like, damn, that's Kesha.
Like, we listen to her music.
We're gonna get shit done.
She turned her mess into creative art
and that's one of the most beautiful things.
- When they first came out, I saw the hype.
Everyone was talking about it, everyone was posting
their own faces of reactions of being like,
oh, my god, Kesha's back, and it's been this amazing thing,
so she's gonna blow up once again,
and I'm so excited for this mother[bleep] woman.
- Thanks so much for watching this episode of Teens React.
- Subscribe and hit the bell.
We have new episodes almost every day.
- Thanks for watching, everyone. See you next time.
- Hey, guys, Ethan here from FBE.
Thank you so much for watching this episode of Teens React
and we are so excited and proud here at FBE
to see Kesha releasing new music.
What are your thoughts on her new songs, though?
Keep the discussion going in the comments.