Music Monday #42: Warrior by Kesha

2 years after releasing 'Animal' Kesha went on to release 'Warrior' an album that saw her departure from a care free teenage life mentality maturing into young adulthood.  Kesha was 25 at the time of its release and I think the personal growth she experienced is reflected in her music.  The themes touched upon in this album are heavier, and darker.  This is also reflected in the artistic styling of promotional materials, such as the music videos for the singles from this album where occult imagery is used, allusions to conspiracy theories, power, control, and magic are incorporated into the visual styling.

The very first track on the album is the title track and contains the lyrics "We were born to break the doors down, Fightin' till the end, It's something that's inside of us, It's how we've always been" these lyrics reflect the burdens of the world that begin to wear you down in your 20s, when life starts to throw everything it can at you and you must evolve and fight to survive.  This theme of survival is then contrasted by the second track 'Die Young' which isn't about seeking an early death or having a desire to actually die young but rather to embrace the idea of living in the moment.  The lyrics "Let's make the most of the night, like we're gonna die young" put this quite clearly the song is about making the most of the time you have while you still can and living like there's no tomorrow.  The juxtaposition here is establishing the premise that you should fight to survive but that fight cannot be the definition of your life if all you are ever doing is trying to avoid death you're not really living.

My absolute favourite track on this album is one that I believe is not well known as few people I have mentioned it to have heard it, 'Love Into The Light' which is a song about embracing love even when you're surrounded by darkness you need to remain open and receptive if you want to let love find its way back into your life.  The chorus "Maybe it’s about the time, To let all of the love back in the light, Maybe it’s about the perfect place, To let go and forget about the hate, Love into the light" reflects this sentiment perfectly, but also the lyrics read "And I’ve got this question, yeah, Been burning through my head, Can’t we all get over ourselves, And just stop talking shit?" this reflects the struggle to abandon ego and accept life for what it is, and acknowledge that we can create darkness and we can create light and it's our choice which we choose to spread.

There's one last Kesha album I want to include on this list and it will feature near the end.  For now as before I believe Kesha's personal journey and her growth reflects my own in many ways.  I have mentioned the affinity I feel for her and the connection I form to her music is part of that affinity but also the criticism people direct at her is something I think is often given without context, by this I mean that people pull apart small pieces and particular aspects of her or her music that grate on them and criticise those without reflecting on the bigger picture.  Again this album when taken in context of the time in her life that it reflects, then the depth of the music becomes apparent. 

There will always be those who want to define who and what you are and that's okay because that definition is part of their narrative not yours.  Let them define you as they please but know that how you define yourself is entirely up to you.  The choice to ignore them always remains, you don't have to accept their definition and their act of defining you in and of itself is not an attack even though it can feel like one.  Warrior is about fighting, and as the album progresses the narrative unfolds with 'Love Into The Light' being Kesha's subtle way of telling you that you don't have to fight every battle, you can pick and choose, your life doesn't have to devolve into a constant act of self defence, you can live for the moment and enjoy what life has to offer and leave those who are consumed with hate to get lost in it.

The final track on the deluxe edition of this album is called 'Past Lives' and it deals with this act of letting go, moving on to better things, and the idea that there is only one love, true love, and you will always find it again in the end.  You can live a thousand lives and lose that love a thousand times but in the end you will always find it again, the lyrics "But I, I keep on falling for you, Time after time, time after time, I'll make you mine, time after, Time after time" speak to this belief, keep moving and you'll find the one that was meant to be.