In what was perhaps the most moving moment of the evening, Kesha took to the Grammy Awards stage on Sunday night to perform her song “Praying” alongside Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels, Andra Day, Bebe Rexha and the Resistance Revival Chorus.
The moment, which brought much of the audience to its feet and the performers to tears, was particularly resonant due to Kesha’s year-long and well-documented legal battle with former producer Dr. Luke. The singer alleged that he had sexually and emotionally abused her throughout their working relationship, but a New York judge denied a court injunction that would allow her to record new music outside of his label. He denied all allegations, but has since been let go from the label.
The performance also touched on the current Time’s Up movement spreading through Hollywood in ode to gender equality.
While introducing her performance, Janelle Monae said, “We come in peace but we mean business. To those who would dare try to silence us, we offer two words: Time’s Up. It’s not just going on in Hollywood. It’s not just going on in Washington. It’s here in our industry, too.”
Kesha, along with her fellow performers, were all draped in white, as many of those who attended the evening wore white roses in support of Time’s Up and the #MeToo movement advocating against sexual misconduct. Just weeks ago, those who attended the Golden Globes wore black for the same cause.
Since her legal war with Dr. Luke, Kesha has released her first album in five years, Rainbow, which earned her her first Grammy nomination, for Best Pop Vocal Album. She lost to Ed Sheeran, but her album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and she just so happened to own the night.