Kesha has written a moving letter to her 18-year-old self, in which she details her eating disorder battle and struggle into the spotlight.
The 30-year-old singer has had a difficult few years with her decision to sue producer Dr. Luke for alleged sexual and emotional abuse making more headlines than her music. However, as Kesha enjoys rave reviews for her comeback album Rainbow, the star has looked back on her past as part of U.S. TV show CBS' This Morning's series Note to Self.
Kesha read the piece, written to her teenage self, out on the show, reciting: "Dear Kesha, At this very moment you may be wondering whether it was really a good idea to drop out of high school. I moved to L.A. with nothing but your grandpa’s Lincoln Town Car and a demo tape. I’ve got good news - and I’ve got bad news - and I know you’re a tad impatient, so I’ll start with the good news: You made it! And thank God because the best plan B we ever came up with was waitressing, and as you will soon find out, that was not really our forte."
She then continued with the downside, saying: "The bad news is you nearly killed yourself on the road to success, fuelled by fear of failure, crippling anxiety, and insecurity. You will become severely bulimic and anorexic - and the worse your disease gets the more praise you will get from some people in your industry, and this will really, really mess with your head. But when you are trying to live up to an unrealistic expectation, it’s never gonna be good enough no matter what you do."
Urging her teenage self to think of herself as "good enough" as she is, Kesha concluded: "You must be strong because over time you will gain confidence and people will learn that words and art do matter. One day, you’re gonna write a song called Rainbow and you’re gonna be really proud of it because there is light and beauty after the storm no matter how hard things get. you’re gonna write this song to remember to make it through and you’re gonna remind yourself to love yourself and if you have truth in your heart there will always be a rainbow at the end of the storm."
The letter comes as music critics have praised Kesha for her new record, with The Guardian calling it a "captivating comeback" while The Atlantic label it "an album that blends fantasy fun and bummer reality".
