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Kesha Discovers How to “Learn to Let Go” in New Song and Video

The upbeat pop-rock song is the most radio-friendly offering from the album so far.

Kesha Discovers How to Learn to Let Go in New Song and Video
Photo: RCA Records

In an interview celebrating the 20th anniversary of the hit sitcom Friends, Lisa Kudrow revealed that her approach to playing Phoebe—her famously eccentric character, whose backstory included a mom who committed suicide, a dad who went to prison, and a pimp who spit in her mouth—was based on a friend from college who “never got down about it, ever.”

According to an essay in The Huffington Post, pop singer Kesha, while writing “Learn to Let Go,” was also inspired by a friend with unwavering positivity in the face of adversity. This upbeat pop-rock track from the embattled star’s upcoming Rainbow is the most radio-friendly offering from the album so far, featuring a processed but passionate vocal and lyrics that inspire without veering into mawkishness, Kesha’s words of wisdom tempered with a healthy dose of skepticism: “I know I’m always, like, telling everybody you don’t gotta be a victim/Life ain’t always fair, but hell is living in resentment.”

The music video, directed by Isaac Ravishankara, opens with Kesha watching home videos on an old tube television. Whisked away in memory, she takes a nostalgic stroll through the forest, where she encounters signposts from her past—including a cleverly devised fake swimming pool—that parallel the funny, often touching scenes from her childhood. Throughout the video, Kesha is seen dancing and running through the trees with the carefree wonder of a little girl—or, come to think of it, Phoebe Buffay.

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Watch below:

YouTube video

Kesha’s new album, Rainbow, drops August 11th.

Sal Cinquemani

Sal Cinquemani is the co-founder and co-editor of Slant Magazine. His writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Billboard, The Village Voice, and others. He is also an award-winning screenwriter/director and festival programmer.

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