Kesha

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Kesha spoke out against sexual harassment and assault long before the #MeToo movement was making headlines, and nearly lost her career as a result. But instead of going away quietly, she fought back. And she made Rainbow, an album that I think includes some of the best songs she’s ever written.

When I was asked to stand alongside Kesha and sing one of those songs—“Praying”—at this year’s Grammys, I was honored and thrilled. It was important that she was able to tell her story. But it was also important that we—myself, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels and Andra Day—could stand onstage with her. That performance showed the power of sisterhood. It was a reminder that none of us are alone.

Women make up roughly half of the U.S. workforce, yet somehow we are still fighting for equality, including in the music industry. Thanks to Kesha and other women who have stood up for themselves to demand justice and fairness, we are starting to turn a new page. It took far too long for us to come to this cultural moment, and we’ve got a really long way to go, but thanks to people like Kesha, we’re finally starting to make progress.

Lauper is a Grammy-winning recording artist