Watch Kesha’s emotional Billboard Music Awards performance that almost didn’t happen

Last night, Kesha got up on that stage, accompanied by Ben Folds, and performed a slower, more soulful version of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe.” Because she couldn’t speak, Kesha let her music do the talking. It may not have been justice for a woman who claims to be trapped, and desperate, and miserable, but it certainly was beautiful.

No one at the Billboard Music Awards spoke about Kesha’s trial—neither her legal nor emotional one. No one voiced their support for her. But in her performance—her departure from the dance-pop that made her name in favor of a slowed-down cover of a folk song—Kesha showed herself strong, if sad.

Kelsey McKinney is a culture staff writer for Fusion.