Kesha Offers Comfort And Hope With Powerful 'Rainbow' For Stonewall Day

Kesha kicked off 2020 by dropping an eclectic assortment of bombastic dance-pop and folk-tinged ballads. Indeed, High Road, her fourth album, featured collaborations with artists as diverse as Big Freedia, Brian Wilson, Sturgill Simpson, and even her former dollar-sign Ke$ha persona. "I'll just keep on doing what I do best," she sings on "Shadow," before specifying what, exactly, that is: "Pissing off people who wanna be pissed."


It's the same sort of energy she brought to a vibrant virtual efficiency while in Pride Live's Stonewall Day — glamorous pink and purple eye shadow, a rainbow backdrop, and, fittingly, her critical 2017 piano song "Rainbow." As an alternative opposed to full-on bombast, though, Kesha let the powerful words speak for themselves: any time the winds are howling strong / so you think you can't go on, hold tight, sweetheart / You'll find a rainbow, rainbow, baby."


As she sang, a gorgeous panoply of rainbow light washed over Kesha, bathing the scene in different colors. In April, Kesha gave another virtual performance of "Rainbow" for Global Citizen's One World: With each other At Home telecast, opting for a tender rendition of "Rainbow" at the piano. Unlike that one, though, the Stonewall Day rendition noticed her only singing, really tapping into her words and delivering them with gusto.


It's the same sort of love she showed as she emotionally introduced the song. "I'm so emotional to be here today to perform in honor of the Ally Coalition, the Ruth Ellis Center, and LGBTQ youth on Stonewall Day," she mentioned. "I really do believe that you're the future. You inspire me with your energy, your heart, your voices, and the way you take action."


Back in 2013, Kesha told Seventeen magazine about the nature of attraction for her personally. "I don't love just males. I love people," she said. "It's not about a gender. It's just about the spirit that exudes from that other person you're with." She expanded on those thoughts in 2017 with Attitude, saying, "I never hid [my bisexuality] from anybody. I never had a moment of feeling I had to come out about it."


Since then, she's vocally supported and advocated for the LGBTQ+ community, including in 2016, as soon as she spoke out for Vevo's Why I Vote campaign. "Using your voice and your truth and standing up and talking about what you believe in and voting is your power," she said.


It's a message she echoed in her Stonewall Day preamble. "If you're 18, you better be voting in November. You've got to she mentioned. "And if you're not 18 but, ensure people know you matter. You're going to change the world." She then dedicated "Rainbow" to, well, you.


Experience Kesha's efficiency above, and find out more about Stonewall Day — a fundraiser for LGBTQ+ advocacy groups — why as well as how to contribute right here. Stream the whole show through the Logo's YouTube and Facebook pages.