Lewis says the super-high "whistle" note "came out of nowhere."
Some collabos sound good on paper, but make no sense in your speakers. And then others, like Kesha's "Praying," make zero sense on paper but are pure ecstasy for your ear buds. The dramatic ballad that helped kick off the singer's return to the spotlight earlier this month served as the opening salvo from Kesha's first album in nearly five years, Rainbow (Aug. 11) and it came to life thanks to a most unlikely collaboration.
"I started working on 'Praying' over a year ago, when I was on tour," the song's producer and co-writer, Ryan Lewis, tells Billboard. "I had the foundational verse piano, drums, the song's escalation, it felt like a huge female ballad waiting to happen. My wife Jackie is the one who thought it would be perfect for Kesha."
The other half of the multi-platinum Macklemore & Ryan Lewis says he was eager to work with the 30 year-old singer, and after meeting her for a writing session he was blown away by her powerful spirit. "She's positive, kind, humble, creative as hell and relentless to give it her all," he says. "Not to mention, she's a phenomenal singer. There's something so un-produced about a ballad track, it really shows a singer for exactly who they are. And for Kesha, that was showing her brilliance, raw and unfiltered."