When it came time to recruit a singer for “Dear Me,” which Diane Warren wrote to her “younger f*cked up self,” the record-breaking Oscar nominee called on Kesha not just for her vocals but also because she felt the singer could relate to the song.

At Deadline’s Sound & Screen: Film event, Warren accompanied Kesha on the piano to perform the ballad from the Masterclass documentary about her life Diane Warren: Relentless .

“First of all, she’s one of the best singers on the planet. So I knew that she’d sing the f*ck out of it, which clearly she does,” Warren said when asked about her casting process for the song. “But also, I knew that you’d gone through hard stuff in your life too. I knew that this would resonate with you.”

Kesha recalled “sobbing” when she first heard the song

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