Olivia BeeKesha’s long-waited album Rainbow is finally out today. In a new essay for Refinery29, the singer explains the emotional origins of the title track.
She says the song first came to life when she was alone and scared in rehab for an eating disorder. She wasn’t allowed a phone or computer, but they allowed her to have a keyboard for an hour a day. During those brief moments, she conceived the song, the whole album idea and a tour.
“’Rainbow’ was the beginning,” Kesha writes. “That song and the lyrics were a letter to myself promising that I was going to take care of myself going forward and that I was going to be okay.”
When she finally went into the studio to record the song, she says she wanted to do something special. She recorded the song with a live orchestra.
“It was a big step for me to say, ‘let’s just go for it,’ and record live with an orchestra, because it’s so different from how I have made music in the past,” Kesha writes. “It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.”
She concludes the essay by saying that “Rainbow” marked a new chapter in her life. “I hope this song exudes hope and self-love, because each of us deserves it,” she writes.
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