Kesha Rose Sebert (; born March 1, 1987), formerly stylized as Ke$ha, is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to
Kemosabe Records
Kemosabe Records is an American record label founded by American record producer and songwriter Dr. Luke and owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The label is based in Los Angeles, California.
History
In November 2011, Sony Music Entertainment ann ...
. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on American rapper
Flo Rida
Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...
's number-one single "
Right Round
"Right Round" is a single performed by American rapper Flo Rida featuring guest vocals from American singer Kesha. It was released as the lead Single (music), single from his second studio album, ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (2009). It was released to radio ...
".
Kesha's music and image propelled her to immediate success. She has earned two number-one albums on the US
''Billboard'' 200 with ''
Animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
'' (2010) and ''
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' (2017), and the top-ten records ''
Warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
'' (2012) and ''
High Road
High Road or The High Road may refer to:
Film and television
* ''High Road'' (film), a 2012 comedy by Matt Walsh
* The Lady of Scandal, a 1930 American pre-Code film, also known as The High Road
* The High Road (1915 film), a lost silent film
...
'' (2020). Kesha has attained ten top-ten singles on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, including "
Tik Tok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
", "
Blah Blah Blah
Blah, blah blah etc. may refer to:
Music
* ''Blah-Blah-Blah'' (Iggy Pop album), 1986, or its title song
* ''Blah Blah Blah'' (Blahzay Blahzay album), 1996
* ''Blah Blah Blah'' (EP), 2018 by Armin van Buuren or the title song
* ''Blah Bla ...
", "
Your Love Is My Drug
"Your Love Is My Drug" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kesha, taken from her debut studio album, ''Animal'' (2010). It was released as the album's third single on May 14, 2010. The song was written by Kesha and Pebe Sebert, with Ammo, w ...
", "
Take It Off", "
Blow
Blow commonly refers to:
*Cocaine
*Exhalation
* Strike (attack)
Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to:
People
* Blew (surname)
* Blow (surname)
Arts and entertainment Music
*The Blow, an American electro-pop band
Albums
* ''Blow ...
", "
Die Young
"Die Young" is a song by American singer and songwriter Kesha. It was released on September 25, 2012, as the lead single from her second studio album, ''Warrior'' (2012). Kesha co-wrote the song with its producers, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, and Ci ...
", "
My First Kiss
"My First Kiss" is a song recorded by American electronic duo 3OH!3. The song was written by Lukasz Gottwald, Sean Foreman, Nathaniel Motte and Benny Blanco, and was produced by Dr. Luke, and Blanco for their third studio album, '' Streets of Go ...
" with
3OH!3
3OH!3 (pronounced "three oh three") is an American electronic music duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "DONTTRUSTME" from their album ''Want'', which reached number sev ...
, "
We R Who We R
"We R Who We R" is a song by American singer Kesha from her first extended play (EP), ''Cannibal'' (2010). The song was released as the EP's lead single on October 22, 2010. It was written by Kesha, with Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Dr. Luke, Benny Bl ...
", "Right Round" with Flo Rida, and "
Timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
" with
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
. Her 2009 single "Tik Tok" was the
best-selling digital single in history, selling over 14 million units internationally, until surpassed in 2011.
Kesha's career was halted between ''Warrior'' and ''Rainbow'' due to a legal dispute with her former producer
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American record producer and songwriter. His professional music career began in the late-night television sketch comedy ...
, which has been ongoing since 2014. A series of lawsuits, known collectively as ''
Kesha v. Dr. Luke
''Kesha v. Dr. Luke'' refers to a series of lawsuits and countersuits between the singer Kesha Rose Sebert (Kesha) and the music producer Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald (Dr. Luke). Sebert filed a civil suit against Gottwald in October 2014 for infl ...
'', were exchanged between the two parties in which Kesha accused him of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and employment discrimination against her, while Dr. Luke claims breach of contract and defamation by Kesha.
As of 2013, Kesha has reportedly sold over 33 million combined tracks and ringtones in the U.S alone and over 55 million worldwide to date.
She was also listed as the 26th top artist on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''s 2010s decade-end charts. She has received various awards and nominations, including her win for the
MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act The MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Europe Music Awards in 1994. Originally called Breakthrough Artist (1994—1999), it was briefly retitled ...
in 2010. Kesha has also co-written songs for other artists, including "
Till the World Ends
"Till the World Ends" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her seventh studio album, ''Femme Fatale'' (2011). It was written by Kesha, Dr. Luke, Alexander Kronlund, and Max Martin, while the production was handled by Luke, Martin an ...
" (2011) for
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
and songs for
Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her four-octave vocal range has received critical acclaim, and her personal life has been the subject of widespread media attention. She has received ...
,
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
, and
Miranda Cosgrove
Miranda Taylor Cosgrove (born May 14, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She was the highest-paid child actor in 2012 and was included on ''Forbes'' magazine's " 30 Under 30" list in 2022. She is known for her career on television, parti ...
.
Early life
Kesha Rose Sebert was born in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
on March 1, 1987. Her mother,
Rosemary Patricia "Pebe" Sebert, is a singer-songwriter who co-wrote the 1978 single "
Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You
"Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You" is a country song written by singer-songwriter Pebe Sebert and Hugh Moffatt. It was a number 14 U.S. country hit for Joe Sun in 1978, and a number 86 hit for Brian Collins the same year. It was later cover ...
"
with
Hugh Moffatt for
Joe Sun
James Joseph Paulsen (September 25, 1943 – October 25, 2019), known professionally as Joe Sun, was an American country music singer-songwriter. Recording for the Ovation and Elektra Records labels, Sun charted fourteen singles on the Hot ...
, made popular by country music artist
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
on her 1980 album ''
Dolly, Dolly, Dolly
''Dolly, Dolly, Dolly'' is the twenty-second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on April 14, 1980, by RCA Victor. The album's two singles, " Starting Over Again" and "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to Yo ...
''. Pebe, a single mother, struggled financially while supporting herself, Kesha, and Kesha's older brother Lagan; they relied on welfare payments and
food stamps
In the United States, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp Program, is a federal program that provides food-purchasing assistance for low- and no-income people. It is a federal aid program, ad ...
to get by.
When Kesha was an infant, Pebe would often have to look after her onstage while performing.
Kesha says she has no knowledge of her father's identity.
In 2011, a man named Bob Chamberlain who called himself her father approached ''
Star
A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma (physics), plasma held together by its gravity. The List of nearest stars and brown dwarfs, nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked ...
'' with pictures and letters, claiming they proved that he and Kesha had been in regular contact as father and daughter before she turned 19. Her mother is mostly of Hungarian descent. One of Kesha's great-grandfathers was Polish.
Pebe moved the family to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
in 1991 after securing a new publishing deal for her songwriting. She frequently brought Kesha and her brothers along to recording studios and encouraged Kesha to sing after noticing Kesha's talent.
Kesha attended
Franklin High School and
Brentwood High School, and said she did not fit in, explaining that her unconventional style (such as homemade purple velvet pants and purple hair) did not endear her to other students. She played the trumpet and later the saxophone in the marching band in school, and has said she was a diligent student. After attaining a near-perfect score on her
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
, she attended
Barnard College
Barnard College of Columbia University is a private women's liberal arts college in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1889 by a group of women led by young student activist Annie Nathan Meyer, who petitioned Columbia ...
, an affiliate college of
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, but dropped out after three months to pursue her music career.
In addition to taking songwriting classes,
Kesha was also taught how to write songs by Pebe, and they often wrote together when she returned home from high school.
Kesha began recording demos, which Pebe gave to people she knew in the music business.
Kesha was also in a band with Lagan.
Kesha and Pebe co-wrote the song "
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
" when Kesha was 16. Kesha then tracked down
David Gamson
David Gamson is an American keyboardist/musician (also a producer, songwriter, arranger, engineer). Originally hailing from New York, he has worked with, among others, Kesha, Kelly Clarkson, Jessie J, Adam Lambert, Chaka Khan, Charli XCX, Meshell ...
, a producer she admired from
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside. He is the only member of the band to have remained throughout the group's history.
Beginning as a punk-inspired collect ...
, who agreed to produce the song.
She dropped out of school at 17, after
convinced her to return to Los Angeles to pursue a music career, and earned her
GED
The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four subject tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills. It is an alternative to the US high ...
after. Around this time, Pebe answered an advertisement from the American reality TV series ''
The Simple Life
''The Simple Life'' is an American reality television series starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. It depicts the two wealthy socialites, as they struggle to do manual, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, farm work, serving meals in fast ...
'' looking for an "eccentric" family to host
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conra ...
and
Nicole Richie
Nicole Camille Richie (; born September 21, 1981) is an American television personality, fashion designer, socialite, and actress. She came to prominence after appearing in the reality television series ''The Simple Life'' (2003–2007), in whic ...
.
The episode featuring the Sebert family aired in 2005. Martin had received one of Kesha's demos from Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...
, and was impressed. ''Billboard'' described two of the demos in a cover story, the first as "a gorgeously sung, self-penned country ballad" and the second as "a gobsmackingly awful
trip-hop
Trip hop (sometimes used synonymously with "downtempo") is a musical genre that originated in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom, especially Bristol. It has been described as a psychedelic fusion of hip hop and electronica with slow tempos ...
track" where Kesha raps
ad lib
In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation.
The ...
for a minute after running out of lyrics. It was the latter track that attracted attention.
Career
2005–2009: Career beginnings
In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to the label
Kemosabe Records
Kemosabe Records is an American record label founded by American record producer and songwriter Dr. Luke and owned by Sony Music Entertainment. The label is based in Los Angeles, California.
History
In November 2011, Sony Music Entertainment ann ...
, and the music publishing company Prescription Songs.
Kemosabe Records is owned by
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
and located in Los Angeles. Sony Music Entertainment partnered to create Kemosabe Records. Other artists that have signed with Kemosabe Records include
Juicy J
Jordan Michael Houston III (born April 5, 1975), known professionally as Juicy J, is an American rapper and record producer. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, he is a founding member of the Southern hip hop group Three 6 Mafia, established i ...
,
Rock City,
Zara Larsson
Zara Maria Larsson (, ; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish pop singer. In 2008, at the age of 10, she won the second season of the talent show '' Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got Talent'' format. Since then she has received recogni ...
,
Lil Bibby
Brandon George Dickinson (born July 18, 1994), better known by his stage name Lil Bibby, is an American rapper and record executive. Beginning his career in 2011, Bibby released his debut mixtape in 2013, titled ''Free Crack''. After signing wit ...
, and
Becky G
Rebbeca Marie Gomez (born March 2, 1997), known professionally as Becky G, is an American singer and actress. She first gained recognition in 2011 when she began posting videos of herself covering popular songs online. One of her videos caught t ...
. Kesha later sang background vocals for Paris Hilton's single, "
Nothing in This World".
Kesha then signed with
David Sonenberg
David Alan Sonenberg is an American music manager, and the founder of the music management company DAS Communications.
He is the producer of the Oscar-winning film ''When We Were Kings'' (1997).
Early life and education
Born and raised in New ...
's management company, DAS Communications Inc., in 2006. DAS was tasked with obtaining a major label record deal for Kesha in a year's time in exchange for 20 percent of her music income, with her having the option of ending the relationship if they failed.
She worked with several writers and producers while at the company and ended up co-writing Australian pop group
The Veronicas
The Veronicas is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso.
In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled '' The Secret Life of...'', which peak ...
' single "
This Love" with producer
Toby Gad
Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producin ...
.
While furthering her career in the studio, Kesha earned her living as a waitress.
While struggling to get by, she began stylizing her name as 'Ke$ha', explaining the dollar sign as an ironic gesture.
![Ke$ha performing live in Echo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Ke%24ha_performing_live_in_Echo.JPG)
In 2008, Kesha appeared in the video for her friend
Katy Perry
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
's single "
I Kissed a Girl
"I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single of American singer Katy Perry from her second studio album, ''One of the Boys'' (2008). It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from the record. Perry co-wrote the song with ...
", and sang background vocals for
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
' "Lace and Leather".
DAS soon attracted the attention of songwriter and
A&R Kara DioGuardi
Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi (; born December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She writes music primarily in the pop rock genre. DioGuardi has worked with many popular artists; sales o ...
, who wanted to sign Kesha to
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
. The deal fell through due to her existing contract with Kemosabe. In September that year, she allegedly terminated her contract with DAS. Kesha would appear on rapper
Flo Rida
Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...
's number-one single "
Right Round
"Right Round" is a single performed by American rapper Flo Rida featuring guest vocals from American singer Kesha. It was released as the lead Single (music), single from his second studio album, ''R.O.O.T.S.'' (2009). It was released to radio ...
" in early 2009, which exposed her to some mainstream attention.
According to the parties present, the collaboration happened by accident; she had simply walked into a recording session for the song and Flo Rida happened to have wanted a female voice on it.
It was reported that Flo Rida liked the result so much that he recorded one more track with Kesha for his album.
However, she is not credited for her feature on the United States release of "Right Round" and did not collect any money for the part.
She also refused to appear in the video, explaining to men's magazine ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'' that she wanted to make a name for herself on her own terms.
2009–2011: Breakthrough, ''Animal'', and ''Cannibal''
![Kesha NRJ crop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Kesha_NRJ_crop.jpg)
After failing to negotiate with
Lava Records
Lava Records (Lava Music, LLC) is an American record label owned by Jason Flom in partnership with Universal Music Group.
Company history
In 1995, Flom launched Lava Records in partnership with Atlantic Records. For the next decade, he continue ...
and
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
in 2009, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
.
Having spent the previous 6 years working on material for her debut album,
she began putting finishing touches to the album. For the album, she wrote approximately 200 songs.
It was certified Platinum in the United States and had sold two million albums worldwide by September of that year. The album's lead single, "
Tik Tok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
", broke the record in the United States for the highest sales week for a single, with 610,000 digital downloads sold in a single week, the highest ever by a female artist since digital download tracking began in 2003.
It spent nine weeks at number one in the country and became the longest running number-one by a female artist on her debut single since
Debby Boone
Deborah Anne Boone (born September 22, 1956) is an American singer, author, and actress. She is best known for her 1977 hit, "You Light Up My Life (song), You Light Up My Life", which spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboar ...
and "
You Light Up My Life" in 1977. As of 2019, "Tik Tok" has sold about 14 million copies worldwide, becoming
the best-selling single in digital history and the best-selling digital single in history by a female solo artist.
[
*] Subsequent singles from the album ("
Blah Blah Blah
Blah, blah blah etc. may refer to:
Music
* ''Blah-Blah-Blah'' (Iggy Pop album), 1986, or its title song
* ''Blah Blah Blah'' (Blahzay Blahzay album), 1996
* ''Blah Blah Blah'' (EP), 2018 by Armin van Buuren or the title song
* ''Blah Bla ...
", "
Your Love Is My Drug
"Your Love Is My Drug" is a song by American singer-songwriter Kesha, taken from her debut studio album, ''Animal'' (2010). It was released as the album's third single on May 14, 2010. The song was written by Kesha and Pebe Sebert, with Ammo, w ...
" and "
Take It Off") achieved similar commercial success, each reaching the top ten in Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Kesha was also featured on two top ten singles by musician
Taio Cruz
Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...
and electropop duo
3OH!3
3OH!3 (pronounced "three oh three") is an American electronic music duo from Boulder, Colorado, made up of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte. They are best known for their single "DONTTRUSTME" from their album ''Want'', which reached number sev ...
.
![Dirty Picture - Get Sleazy Tour (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Dirty_Picture_-_Get_Sleazy_Tour_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Kesha's deliberately unpolished aesthetic and juvenile stage persona,
which she described as her own personality "times ten", quickly made her a deeply polarizing figure.
Some of her critics found her output to be unsophisticated,
while others felt that she was manufactured and lacked credibility.
In May 2010, Kesha's former managers from DAS Communications Inc. filed a lawsuit against her, seeking $14 million from her for commissions on her RCA Records deal, alleging that she had extended the deadline for them to get her a major record label contract and squeezed them out of her career.
Kesha launched her own lawsuit in October, citing the California-exclusive Talent Agencies Act and asking the California Labor Commissioner to declare her contract with DAS void because it had acted as an unlicensed talent agent while procuring work for her in California, where only licensed agents can do so. The case was settled in 2012 before the release of her second album. Kesha held a benefit concert on June 16, 2010, where all proceeds went to aid victims of the
2010 Tennessee floods
The 2010 Tennessee floods were 1,000-year floods in Middle Tennessee, West Tennessee, south-central and western Kentucky and northern Mississippi areas of the United States of America as the result of torrential rains on May 1 and 2, 2010. Flo ...
in her hometown Nashville.
She raised close to $70,000 from the event.
She was a supporting act on the summer North American leg of
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
's
Last Girl on Earth
Last Girl on Earth was the third concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. The tour visited Europe, Asia, North America and Australia to support her fourth studio album, ''Rated R'' (2009).
The tour was announced through MTV News in ...
and was awarded
Best New Act at the 2010
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...
.
In November 2010, ''Animal'' was re-released with a companion extended play, ''
Cannibal
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...
''.
The lead single taken from ''Cannibal'', "
We R Who We R
"We R Who We R" is a song by American singer Kesha from her first extended play (EP), ''Cannibal'' (2010). The song was released as the EP's lead single on October 22, 2010. It was written by Kesha, with Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Dr. Luke, Benny Bl ...
", debuted at the top of the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the United States. With two number ones and four top ten hits (among them her featured spot on 3OH!3's "
My First Kiss
"My First Kiss" is a song recorded by American electronic duo 3OH!3. The song was written by Lukasz Gottwald, Sean Foreman, Nathaniel Motte and Benny Blanco, and was produced by Dr. Luke, and Blanco for their third studio album, '' Streets of Go ...
") Kesha was named Hot 100 Artist of 2010 by ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' magazine, with "Tik Tok" ranked as the best-performing song of the year in the US. The follow-up single from ''Cannibal'', "
Blow
Blow commonly refers to:
*Cocaine
*Exhalation
* Strike (attack)
Blow, Blew, Blowing, or Blown may also refer to:
People
* Blew (surname)
* Blow (surname)
Arts and entertainment Music
*The Blow, an American electro-pop band
Albums
* ''Blow ...
", also charted in the top ten on the Hot 100. By June 2011, Kesha had sold almost 21 million digital single downloads in the United States alone. In February 2011, Kesha embarked on her first headlining world tour, the
Get Sleazy Tour
The Get Sleazy Tour (stylized as Get $leazy Tour) was the first concert tour by American recording artist Kesha in support of both her first album, ''Animal'', and first extended play, ''Cannibal''. Officially announced on November 8, 2010, th ...
. The tour was expanded with a summer leg due to the first leg selling out and spanned three continents. Kesha also co-wrote the song "
Till the World Ends
"Till the World Ends" is a song by American singer Britney Spears from her seventh studio album, ''Femme Fatale'' (2011). It was written by Kesha, Dr. Luke, Alexander Kronlund, and Max Martin, while the production was handled by Luke, Martin an ...
" for American popstar Britney Spears and was featured on the remix of the song along with rapper
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...
. After meeting Kesha at the 2010 Grammy Awards and guesting at a number of her concerts, rock singer
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
asked her to write lyrics for and vocally perform as a devil character on their duet track, "What Baby Wants", on Cooper's album ''
Welcome 2 My Nightmare
''Welcome 2 My Nightmare'' (also known as ''Welcome to My Nightmare 2'') is the nineteenth solo album by American rock musician Alice Cooper, released in September 2011. Peaking at No. 22 in the ''Billboard'' 200 it is Cooper's highest-charting al ...
'' (2011).
Kesha was named rights group
Humane Society of the United States
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is an American nonprofit organization that focuses on animal welfare and opposes animal-related cruelties of national scope. It uses strategies that are beyond the abilities of local organizations. ...
's first global ambassador for
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
, for which she is expected to bring attention to such practices as
cosmetics testing on animals and
shark finning
Shark finning is the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark back into the ocean. This act is prohibited in many countries. The sharks are often still alive when discarded, but without their fins.Spiegel, J. (2000 ...
.
Kesha received the Wyler Award presented by The Humane Society as a celebrity or public figure who increases awareness of animal issues via the media. She received the award March 23, 2013, at The 2013 Genesis Awards Benefit Gala. She also appeared alongside rock singer
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
in a campaign for
PETA
Peta or PETA may refer to:
Acronym
* Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943
* People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization
* People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...
, protesting the clubbing of baby seals in Canada and later wrote on behalf of the organization to
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
over the conditions of their slaughterhouses.
2012–2013: ''Warrior'' and other projects
![Ke$ha Today Show 2012](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Ke%24ha_Today_Show_2012.jpg)
Kesha's second studio album, ''
Warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
'', was released on November 30, 2012. She began writing for the album while on her own headlining tour in 2011. The album featured productions from Max Martin,
as well as a song by
Wayne Coyne
Wayne Michael Coyne (born January 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the lead singer, guitarist, keyboardist, theremin player and songwriter for the band the Flaming Lips.
Early life
Coyne was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...
, the lead singer of the alternative band
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...
. Coyne had reached out to Kesha for a collaboration after hearing that she was a fan of the band. Besides working on Kesha's album, they recorded the song "2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)" for the band's album, ''
The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends
''The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends'' is the first album in the "Fwends" series by the American rock band the Flaming Lips in collaboration with a variety of guests.
Recorded throughout 2011 and 2012, the album was released as a limited edition o ...
'' (2012). To coincide with the release of the album, Kesha released the illustrated
autobiography
An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life.
It is a form of biography.
Definition
The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...
''
My Crazy Beautiful Life
''My Crazy Beautiful Life'' is a 2012 illustrated autobiography by the Pop music, pop singer Kesha and photographer/filmmaker Steven Greenstreet. Photography was also provided by Jason Sheldon and Lagan Sebert, who also helped develop the project ...
'' through
Touchstone Books
Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publi ...
in November 2012. The first single taken from ''Warrior'' was "
Die Young
"Die Young" is a song by American singer and songwriter Kesha. It was released on September 25, 2012, as the lead single from her second studio album, ''Warrior'' (2012). Kesha co-wrote the song with its producers, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, and Ci ...
". The song debuted at number thirteen on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 2. The song also charted across Europe and the English-speaking world and reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, and Belgium.
"
C'Mon", the album's second single, underperformed commercially, only peaking at number 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and ending her string of top ten hits on the chart. Despite this, "C'Mon" continued Kesha's streak of top ten hits (with nine) on the
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Songs chart, also graphed by ''Billboard''. In July 2013, Kesha started the
Warrior Tour
The Warrior Tour was the second headlining concert tour by American recording artist Kesha, in support of her sophomore studio album, ''Warrior'' (2012). The tour started on July 3, 2013, and concluded on September 19, 2015.
Background and devel ...
, which would support the album. The North American leg was co-headlined with American rapper
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
.
Kesha's third single from ''Warrior'', "
Crazy Kids
"Crazy Kids" is a song by American singer Kesha. It was released in April 2013 as the third single for her second studio album ''Warrior'' (2012), with will.i.am and Juicy J as a featured artist depending on the version. An additional remix surfa ...
", was released in April 2013 and also under-performed, peaking at number 40 on the Hot 100, number 19 on the Mainstream Top 40, yet did achieve massive success in South Korea and Belgium, peaking at numbers 2 and 5 in those countries, respectively. A TV documentary, ''
Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life'', began airing on
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
also in April 2013.
In July 2013, The Flaming Lips stated their intention of releasing a full-length collaborative album with Kesha, called ''Lipsha''. However, the project eventually cancelled in the winter of the same year.
Kesha sent a message to a fan expressing how it was out of her control and that she wanted to release the material, even for free, saying that she did not care about the money. On October 7, 2013, Kesha and Pitbull released a collaboration, "
Timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
", which became an international commercial success and Kesha's third number-one and tenth top-ten single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
2014–2016: Lawsuit and personal struggles
In January 2014, Kesha checked into a rehabilitation center for
bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eate ...
and began to work on her third studio album. After rehab, she switched to using her birth name, Kesha, rather than her previous moniker, Ke$ha. In her August 2014 ''
Teen Vogue
''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since ...
'' cover interview, Kesha revealed she recorded 14 new songs while in rehab. In June 2014, Kesha claimed a seat as an expert in the American television singing competition ''
Rising Star'', alongside
Brad Paisley
Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
and
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...
. In October 2014, Kesha sued producer Dr. Luke for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, emotional abuse, and violation of California business practices which had occurred over 10 years working together. The lawsuit went on for nearly a year before Kesha sought a preliminary injunction to release her from Kemosabe Records. On February 19, 2016, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich ruled against this request. On April 6, 2016, Kornreich dismissed the case, saying that even if the allegations of sexual assault were accepted as true, the five-year
statute of limitations
A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In m ...
had run out on the two most specific rape allegations, one occurring in 2005 and the other in 2008.
On August 4, 2015, Kesha signed with American
performance rights organization
A performance rights organisation (PRO), also known as a performing rights society, provides intermediary functions, particularly collection of royalties, between copyright holders and parties who wish to use copyrighted works ''publicly'' in loc ...
SESAC
SESAC is a for-profit performance-rights organization in the United States. Founded in 1930 as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, it is the second-oldest performance-rights organization in the United States. Inc.
Kesha guest starred in the second season of the U.S. television series ''
Jane the Virgin
''Jane the Virgin'' is an American romantic comedy-drama and satirical telenovela developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The series premiered October 13, 2014, on The CW and concluded on July 31, 2019. It is a loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telen ...
'', which aired on October 12, 2015. The singer played Annabelle, the show's protagonist's hostile neighbor.
In December 2015, Kesha revealed that she had formed a country music and classic rock-influenced band called Yeast Infection and performed a live show with the band in Nashville on December 23.
2016–2018: ''Rainbow'' and touring
![KESHA 10AUG16](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/KESHA_10AUG16.jpg)
Kesha appeared during
Zedd
Anton Zaslavski (russian: Антон Заславский; born 2 September 1989), known professionally as Zedd (), is a Russian-born German disc jockey, DJ, record producer, and songwriter.
Zedd grew up and began his musical journey in Kaise ...
's slot at the 2016
Coachella music festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert ...
to perform "
True Colors", a track from Zedd's second studio album. The cameo marked her first high-profile public performance since her ongoing legal battle with Dr. Luke. A studio version of the collaboration was released as a single on April 29, 2016. On May 22, 2016, Kesha covered
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's song "
It Ain't Me Babe
"It Ain't Me Babe" is a song by Bob Dylan that originally appeared on his fourth album ''Another Side of Bob Dylan'', which was released in 1964 by Columbia Records. According to music critic Oliver Trager, this song, along with others on the albu ...
" at the
2016 ''Billboard'' Music Awards. On June 11, 2016, Kesha performed at Pride in the Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Kesha embarked on her third worldwide concert tour, the
Kesha and the Creepies: Fuck the World Tour (2016–2017). The tour commenced on July 23, 2016, in Las Vegas and ended on July 21, 2017, in Aurora, Illinois, after various shows in China as well. The tour included various covers of songs and several rock and country reworks of Kesha's own hit singles.
During this time, it was revealed that Kesha had recorded 22 songs on her own and had given them to her label, and was in the process of recording a third studio album.
On July 6, 2017, Kesha released a single, titled "
Praying
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...
". The single charted successfully at number 6 on the music charts of Australia, selling over 140,000 copies and being certified 2× Platinum in the country. The single charted at number 22 and number 11 in the United States and Canada respectively, and subsequently was certified Platinum in both territories. "Praying" was released as the lead single from Kesha's third studio album, ''
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'', which was released on August 11, 2017. ''Rainbow'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in the United States, becoming her second number-one album in the country, and was the subject of universal acclaim from music critics, with several complimenting the album's feminist angle and uniqueness as well as Kesha's vocal performance and ability to interweave different music genres. Three tracks from ''Rainbow'' were released as promotional singles ahead of the album's release; "
Woman
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
", "
Learn to Let Go" and "
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
", two of which were released with accompanying music videos. "Learn to Let Go" was later released as the second single from the album in November 2017. The album received nominations for
Best Pop Vocal Album
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality vocal pop music albums. Awards in several ...
and
Best Pop Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guides, the Best Pop So ...
(for "Praying") at the
60th Annual Grammy Awards
The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018. The CBS network broadcast the show live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show was moved to January to avoid coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongc ...
, marking Kesha's first
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
nominations.
![Kesha Billboard Music Awards 2018](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Kesha_Billboard_Music_Awards_2018.png)
To promote ''Rainbow'', Kesha embarked on the
Rainbow Tour (2017–2019), which began on September 26, 2017, in Birmingham, Alabama, and visited North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. She furthered promotion by joining a co-headlining concert tour with American rapper
Macklemore
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewi ...
named
The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore
The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore is the co-headlining tour by American singer Kesha and American rapper Macklemore, in support of Kesha's third studio album ''Rainbow'' and Macklemore's second solo studio album ''Gemini'', both released in ...
(2018). This tour took place in North America between June 6, 2018, and August 5, 2018. Kesha's documentary film, ''Rainbow: The Film'', was released on
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
on August 10, 2018. The documentary chronicles her stint in rehab for her eating disorder and the creation of ''Rainbow''. In the same month, Kesha collaborated with British rock band
The Struts
The Struts are a British rock band formed in Derby, Derbyshire in 2012. The band consists of lead vocalist Luke Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott, and drummer Gethin Davies.
The band has cited its influences as: Queen, The D ...
on the remix of their song "
Body Talks
"Body Talks" is a song by English Rock music, rock band the Struts. It was released as the first single from their second studio album, ''Young & Dangerous (album), Young & Dangerous''. It was originally released on 15 June 2018 as the lead sin ...
", released as a single from their album ''
Young & Dangerous'' (2018). On September 19, 2018, Kesha released her song "Here Comes the Change", which served as a single to promote ''
On the Basis of Sex
''On the Basis of Sex'' is a 2018 American biographical legal drama film based on the life and early cases of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was the second woman to serve as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Directed by Mimi Lede ...
'' (2018), a biographical film about
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Joan Ruth Bader Ginsburg ( ; ; March 15, 1933September 18, 2020) was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. She was nominated by President ...
. In October 2018, Kesha collaborated, wrote, and performed on the song "
Safe
A safe (also called a strongbox or coffer) is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or fire. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face being removable or hinged to form a door. The body and ...
" with her younger brother Sage Sebert and rapper Chika, as an homage for the
Parkland, Florida school shooting.
2019–present: ''High Road''
In February 2019, Kesha hosted a 4-day-long cruise called Kesha's Weird and Wonderful Rainbow Ride. Sailing on the
Norwegian Pearl
''Norwegian Pearl'' is a of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), launched in 2006, sailing itineraries primarily around Alaska and the Caribbean.
Vessel class
''Norwegian Pearl'' is the third of NCL's four ''Jewel''-class ships. She was preceded by i ...
, the cruise set off in Tampa, Florida and ended in Nassau, Bahamas. Special guests included
Wrabel
Stephen Wrabel (born January 7, 1989), known mononymously as Wrabel, is an American singer, songwriter and musician based in Los Angeles.
Life and career
Wrabel attended high school at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. After high school ...
,
Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan McDonald Van Ness (born March 28, 1987), also commonly referred to by his initials JVN, is an American hairstylist, podcast host and television personality. He is best known as the grooming expert on the Netflix series '' Queer Eye'', ...
,
Betty Who
Jessica Anne Newham (born 5 October 1991), known by her stage name Betty Who, is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter. After independently releasing her debut single, " Somebody Loves You" (2012), and her debut extended play, ''The M ...
,
Detox
Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period of ...
, and
Superfruit, among others. On June 2, Kesha released a digital single titled "
Rich, White, Straight Men". On July 25, Kesha released the promo single "
Best Day
''Best Day'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian band Dala. It was released on May 29, 2012 in the US and June 5, 2012 in Canada.
Reception
''Best Day'' was released to critical acclaim. It earned three Canadian Folk Music Award nominations f ...
" for the film ''
The Angry Birds Movie 2
''The Angry Birds Movie 2'' is a 2019 computer-animated action comedy film based on Rovio Entertainment's ''Angry Birds'' video game series, produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Rovio Animation, and distributed by Sony Pic ...
''. On November 7, Kesha officially announced her own cosmetics line in partnership with indie makeup brand Hipdot, ''Kesha Rose Beauty'', which was released December 6. The line features an eyeshadow palette with each color named after her songs, two double-ended waterproof eyeliners, a red lipstick, and a lipgloss.
''
High Road
High Road or The High Road may refer to:
Film and television
* ''High Road'' (film), a 2012 comedy by Matt Walsh
* The Lady of Scandal, a 1930 American pre-Code film, also known as The High Road
* The High Road (1915 film), a lost silent film
...
'', Kesha's fourth studio album, was released January 31, 2020. The album performed moderately commercially and received positive reviews. Originally slated for December 2019, Kesha released a trailer on October 21, 2019, to confirm the album's title as ''High Road''. Prior to its release, the album saw the release of four singles: "
Raising Hell" featuring
Big Freedia
Freddie Ross Jr. (born January 28, 1978), better known by his stage name Big Freedia ( ), is an American rapper and performer known for his work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helping popu ...
, "
My Own Dance", "
Resentment
Resentment (also called ranklement or bitterness) is a complex, multilayered emotion that has been described as a mixture of disappointment, disgust and anger. Other psychologists consider it a mood or as a secondary emotion (including cogniti ...
" featuring
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
,
Sturgill Simpson
John Sturgill Simpson (born June 8, 1978) is an American country music singer-songwriter and actor. As of February 2022, he has released seven albums as a solo artist. His first two albums, '' High Top Mountain'' and '' Metamodern Sounds in Cou ...
and
Wrabel
Stephen Wrabel (born January 7, 1989), known mononymously as Wrabel, is an American singer, songwriter and musician based in Los Angeles.
Life and career
Wrabel attended high school at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas. After high school ...
, and "
Tonight
Tonight may refer to:
Television
* ''Tonight'' (1957 TV programme), a 1957–1965 British current events television programme hosted by Cliff Michelmore that was broadcast on BBC
* ''Tonight'' (1975 TV programme), a 1975–1979 British current ...
".
In February 2020, Kesha's 2010 promotional single "
Cannibal
Cannibalism is the act of consuming another individual of the same species as food. Cannibalism is a common ecological interaction in the animal kingdom and has been recorded in more than 1,500 species. Human cannibalism is well documented, bo ...
" gained viral status following a dance trend using it on the video sharing platform
TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
. Following this, the song became a top 40 single in Canada and a new lyric video for the song was released. While self-isolating in her home due to the
coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
, Kesha created a song titled "Home Alone". On April 18, 2020, she performed at the
One World: Together at Home benefit event.
Kesha announced the creation of her own podcast, ''Kesha and the Creepies'', with an announcement video on November 13, 2020. The podcast explores supernatural subjects and alternative lifestyles with pop culture guests and supernatural experts such as
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
,
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...
,
Tyler Henry
Tyler Henry Koelewyn (born 1996) is an American reality show personality who appears in the series ''Hollywood Medium with Tyler Henry'' as a clairvoyant medium. The series began its broadcast on the E! Television Network in the United States ...
,
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer, who is the first artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., since May 2017. Folds was th ...
and more. The first episode was released on November 19, 2020, with new episodes premiering almost every Friday. The first season ran for 30 episodes, with the final episode airing on June 10, 2021.
She later released several collaborations throughout 2020 and 2021, including "Chasing Rainbows" with Big Freedia, "Since I Was Young" with Wrabel, "
Stronger" with Dutch DJ,
Sam Feldt
Sammy Boeddha Renders (born 1 August 1993), better known by his stage name Sam Feldt, is a Dutch DJ, record producer and entrepreneur.
Career Musical career
In 2015, he released a remake of Robin S.' " Show Me Love". The track was released b ...
, and remixes of
Walker Hayes
Charles Edgar Walker Hayes (born December 27, 1979) is an American country-pop singer and songwriter. He has released three studio albums: ''Reason to Rhyme'' in 2011 on Capitol Records Nashville, and ''Boom (Walker Hayes album), Boom'' and ''Co ...
' single, "
Fancy Like
"Fancy Like" is a song recorded by American country music singer Walker Hayes. It was released on August 2, 2021, from his fifth EP '' Country Stuff'' via Monument Records Nashville. Hayes co-wrote the song with Cameron Bartolini, Josh Jenkins, an ...
", and
Grandson
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
's "Drop Dead".
Following the cancellation of the High Road Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kesha embarked on her fifth headlining tour, Kesha Live (2021) with
Betty Who
Jessica Anne Newham (born 5 October 1991), known by her stage name Betty Who, is an Australian musician, singer and songwriter. After independently releasing her debut single, " Somebody Loves You" (2012), and her debut extended play, ''The M ...
serving as the opening act. The tour began on August 13, 2021, in Billings, Montana, and was originally to have 11 shows in the U.S., but got extended to 22, ending on September 12, 2021. Seven more tour dates were announced for late March 2022, which will be followed by Kesha's second cruise tour, scheduled to set sail on April 1, 2022. However, the cruise and the spring tour dates were cancelled due to undisclosed reasons.
Kesha provided vocals for the song, "
Taste So Good", which also featured
Hayley Kiyoko
Hayley Kiyoko Alcroft (born April 3, 1991) is an American singer, dancer and actress. As a child model and actress, she appeared in a variety of films including ''Scooby-Doo (film series), Scooby-Doo!'' film series (2009–2010), ''Lemonade Mouth ...
,
Vincint
Vincint Cannady (born 1991), known by the mononym Vincint (stylized as VINCINT), is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known as a finalist on the first season of the singing competition '' The Four''. He released his debut EP, ''The F ...
, and
MNEK
Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK (, ), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Awards, Brit Award, and has received the ...
. The song was released on June 1, 2022, and was used to promote the cannabis infused drink, Cann.
She starred and executive produced the show, ''Conjuring Kesha'', which premiered on July 8, 2022, on
Discovery+
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discover ...
. In the show, Kesha and her celebrity friends explore paranormal hotspots.
Artistry
Musical style and image
Kesha wrote or co-wrote every song on her first two albums and considers herself a songwriter primarily, writing for artists including
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
and
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...
.
Along with a
mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...
voice, she possesses a "strong, sneering
vibrato
Vibrato (Italian language, Italian, from past participle of "wikt:vibrare, vibrare", to vibrate) is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch (music), pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. ...
",
with a distinct
yodel
Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from th ...
-like quality to her voice; she employs actual yodeling on the songs "Tik Tok" and "Cannibal". Having previously done country, pop rock, and electro,
she had a clear idea of the
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...
sound that she wanted for her debut album.
The genre was popular at the time with many of her peers releasing similar sounds.
Both of those albums are of the genre with catchy hooks and synthesized productions often compared to pop singer
Dev by music critics, creating misunderstandings among the fans of the two.
"Party at a Rich Dude's House" and "C U Next Tuesday" have 1980s derived backing,
while "Stephen" begins with "
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
-style vocal harmonies".
With the lyrics, "Oh my Nicolas Cage, you're so old / you're prehistoric/ you're like a dinosaur/ D-I-N-O-S-A-you are a dinosaur", "
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
" follows a
verse-chorus formula,
and has a "cheerleader-type tune" reminiscent of "
Hollaback Girl
"Hollaback Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). It is a Hip hop music, hip-hop song that draws influence from 1980s in music, 1980s hip hop, hip-hop a ...
" (2005) by
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...
and "
Girlfriend
A girlfriend is a female friend, acquaintance or partner, usually a female companion with whom one is platonically, romantically, or sexually involved.
In a romantic context, this normally signifies a committed relationship where the indi ...
" (2007) by
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne ( ; born September 27, 1984) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. At age 16, she signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records. Her debut studio album, ''Let Go (Avril Lavigne album), Let Go'' (2002), is the ...
;
the song uses the overt symbolism of dinosaurs,
carnivory
A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, adipose tissue, f ...
, and other primitive motifs to tell the story of an older man who preys on younger women.
According to Kesha, the song is based on true events.
While her vocals on ''Animal'' were heavily processed with auto-tune, often to produce rapid stuttering or over-pitch corrected vocal effects, leading to questions on vocal talent, she expressed confidence in her abilities, showing some of her vocal talent in the ballads "Animal" and "Hungover" on the album.
Kesha's second studio album ''Warrior'' used considerably less autotune, although it still showed in a number of songs. The album's piano and guitar-driven ballads such as "Love Into The Light", "Wonderland" and "Past Lives" display Kesha's vocal ability. Kesha also uses a trademark talky "white-girl" rapping style with exaggerated discordant phrasing and enunciation.
Her vocal technique has led her to be credited as a rapper, a topic she disagreed with until fellow rappers
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi.
B ...
,
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...
, and
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
endorsed her. On the subject, she said: "The first time someone called me a rapper, I started laughing. I was shocked, and thought it was hilarious. It's crazy and funny to me."
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said Kesha "threatens to become the most influential female rapper of the day, or at least the most popular. Pretending Kesha isn't a rapper is no longer feasible." "Crazy Kids" and "
C'Mon" took greater shifts into "party rap".
Most of her lyrics chronicle her relationships and partying; the lighthearted subject matter of the latter and her unfiltered language saw many critics criticizing her for releasing frivolous and crass music.
Jonah Weiner of ''
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'', however, stated that her jarring lyrics allowed her songs to become more memorable.
In "Blah Blah Blah" and "Boots & Boys", she objectifies men to poke fun at how male fronted rock bands and rappers can get away with objectifying women and not vice versa.
The title track to her debut, "Animal", is more aspirational and is intended to inspire people to embrace their individuality.
Much more experimental than ''Animal'', her second album, ''Warrior'', contains
dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...
elements and explores erotic experiences Kesha encountered with ghosts on the song "
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
".
Overall, Kesha said the theme of ''Warrior'' is magic.
Critics praised ''Warrior'' for its rock music influences,
despite the album being deeply rooted in technopop.
Applauding the album's rock sound, ''Rolling Stone'' called the album Kesha's rock manifesto.
Rock icons
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...
,
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
, and
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
have collaborated with Kesha, endorsing her as a rock singer. Cooper told ''Billboard'', "I immediately looked at her and went, 'This girl is not a pop diva. She's a rock singer.' She would much rather be the female
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...
than the next Britney Spears."
''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said that ''Warrior'' proved Kesha a capable vocalist and songwriter.
''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' said that the album is "pure fun", opining that Kesha can write good hooks despite her sometimes vapid lyricism.
Influences
Kesha has been influenced by various genres and artists;
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
,
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
,
the Killers
The Killers are an American rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingd ...
,
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie rock ...
,
the Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hil ...
,
Gwen Stefani
Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...
,
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone (CFTPA) was the musical solo-project of musician Owen Ashworth (born April 22, 1977) of Redwood City, California.
CFTPA was active from 1997 to 2010, and released five studio albums, alongside numerous other re ...
,
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...
,
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
,
Gary Glitter
Paul Francis Gadd (born 8 May 1944), best known by his stage name Gary Glitter, is an English former singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved success during the glam rock era of the 1970s and 1980s, and his career ended after he w ...
and
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
have all influenced her music. Her vocal style draws heavily from the song "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy" from the 2007
Justice
Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...
album
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...
. After experimenting with country, pop rock, and electronic music, Kesha stuck with the latter. Thematically, her music generally revolves around escapism, partying, individuality, supernatural moments, rebellion, and grief.
Kesha's musical influences also consist of hip hop, punk rock,
crunkcore
Crunkcore (also known as crunk punk and scrunk) is a musical fusion genre characterized by the combination of musical elements from crunk, post-hardcore, heavy metal, pop, electronic and dance music. The genre often features screamed vocals, ...
, glam rock, pop, dance music and classic country. Her country influences of
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
and
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
come from her mother's country songwriting, while her older brother exposed her to hip-hop and punk bands,
Fugazi
Fugazi (; ) is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C., in 1986. The band consists of guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally, and drummer Brendan Canty. They are noted for their style-tr ...
,
Dinosaur Jr.
Dinosaur Jr. is an American rock band formed in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1984, originally simply called Dinosaur until legal issues forced a change in name.
The band was founded by J Mascis (guitar, vocals, primary songwriter), Lou Barlow ( ...
and the
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
.
She credits her straightforward story-based lyrics to her love for the honest storytelling style of country music,
while the title track from her debut album was created with music of alternative rock bands
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (keyb ...
and
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
in mind.
She singled out the Beastie Boys as a major influence, telling ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' that she had always wanted to be like them and aspired to make "youthful, irreverent anthems" as well.
She called her debut album, ''Animal'', a homage to the Beastie Boys' ''
Licensed to Ill
''Licensed to Ill'' is the debut studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys. It was released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records, and became the first rap LP to top the '' Billboard'' album chart. It is one of Columbi ...
'' and credited the creation of the rap driven "Tik Tok" to her love for the Beastie Boys' rap music.
For her first headlining tour, Kesha wanted to emulate the stage theatrics of
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...
.
She listed Pop's ''
The Idiot
''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69.
The title is an ...
'' as well as
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
and
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
as inspirations for her second studio album, ''Warrior'', intended to feature 1970s rock inspired music.
''Warrior'', to this effect, includes a collaboration with Pop himself.
She draws inspiration from classic films as well. Her stage makeup is characterized by dramatic glitter makeup at her right eye, inspired by ''
A Clockwork Orange
''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to:
* ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess
** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel
*** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...
''.
The video for "Your Love Is My Drug" features animated sequences inspired by
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
' film, ''
Yellow Submarine'', while the Get Sleazy tour was described as having a "post-apocalyptic
Mad Max
''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...
vibe".
Personal life
Kesha is a
vegetarian
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism m ...
and a member of the
LGBT community
The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a comm ...
. She has previously identified as
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
; however, in 2022, she clarified that she preferred not to label her sexuality, stating, "I'm not gay. I'm not straight. I don't know what I am. I love people ... I refuse to be anything, really, except for open to it all." She made similar statements in both 2010 and 2013. In her 2019 ''Attitude'' article, she goes deeper in discussing her sexuality, saying: "I have always been attracted to the soul behind a person's eyes. It has never occurred to me to care about a specific gender, or how someone is identifying, to make me wonder about whether or not I'm attracted to them." She also has performed legal commitment ceremonies for both same-sex and opposite-sex couples.
In June 2022, Kesha revealed on Instagram that she is a "
dom Dom or DOM may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Dom (given name), including fictional characters
* Dom (surname)
* Dom La Nena (born 1989), stage name of Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter Dominique Pinto
* Dom people, an et ...
". She has been involved with
LGBT activism
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...
as well as
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
. Kesha stated that she was born with a quarter inch
vestigial tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals ...
, "I had a tail when I was born...they chopped it off and stole my tail...I'm really sad about that story."
Kesha is a very visual performer and enjoys giving impromptu tattoos. Kesha gave Australian TV presenter
Scott Tweedie
Scott may refer to:
Places Canada
* Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec
* Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380
* Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...
a non-permanent tattoo (a drawing with a marker) of a penis, and in 2011, she gave rocker
Andrew W.K.
Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier (born May 9, 1979), known professionally as Andrew W.K., is an American conceptual performance artist, rock singer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor. Raised in Michigan, Wilkes-Krier began his m ...
a tattoo of a line with ink from a pen and a safety pin which eventually got infected. She has also given safety pin tattoos to fans and a "hot dude" in a hotel lobby.
Health problems
On January 3, 2014, Kesha checked into Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center in Lemont, Illinois, for eating disorder treatment. Kesha's mother confirmed that Kesha was suffering from the eating disorder
bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eate ...
and that she has struggled with it since she was signed. She also alleged that Dr. Luke was partly to blame, saying Luke had told her to lose weight after he signed her, comparing the shape of her body to a refrigerator. Kesha completed her treatment on March 6, 2014, after spending two months in rehab.
Spiritual views
Writing for ''
Lenny Letter
Lenny or Lennie may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Lenny (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Lennie (surname), a list of people
* Lenny (singer) (born 1993), Czech songwriter
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''L ...
'', Kesha stated that she views God as "nature and space and energy and the universe. My own interpretation of spirituality isn't important, because we all have our own. What matters is that I have something greater than me as an individual that helps bring me peace."
According to pop culture magazine ''
Paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...
'', "Homophobia and false piety eventually alienated
erfrom Christianity and she's since settled on a non-denominational cocktail of meditation, mindfulness, and astrology." Kesha said she is occasionally a
nihilist
Nihilism (; ) is a philosophy, or family of views within philosophy, that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as objective truth, knowledge, morality, values, or meaning. The term was popularized by Ivan ...
. She is "obsessed with religion".
Discography
* ''
Animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
'' (2010)
* ''
Warrior
A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
'' (2012)
* ''
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
'' (2017)
* ''
High Road
High Road or The High Road may refer to:
Film and television
* ''High Road'' (film), a 2012 comedy by Matt Walsh
* The Lady of Scandal, a 1930 American pre-Code film, also known as The High Road
* The High Road (1915 film), a lost silent film
...
'' (2020)
Tours
Headlining
*
Get Sleazy Tour
The Get Sleazy Tour (stylized as Get $leazy Tour) was the first concert tour by American recording artist Kesha in support of both her first album, ''Animal'', and first extended play, ''Cannibal''. Officially announced on November 8, 2010, th ...
(2011)
*
Warrior Tour
The Warrior Tour was the second headlining concert tour by American recording artist Kesha, in support of her sophomore studio album, ''Warrior'' (2012). The tour started on July 3, 2013, and concluded on September 19, 2015.
Background and devel ...
(2013–2015)
*
Kesha and the Creepies: Fuck the World Tour (2016–2017)
*
Rainbow Tour (2017–2019)
* Kesha Live (2021)
Co-headlining
*
North American Tour 2013
The North American Tour 2013 was a co-headlining concert tour by American recording artists Pitbull and Kesha. The tour promoted both Pitbull's album '' Global Warming'' and Kesha's album '' Warrior'', which were both released in November 2012 ...
(with
Pitbull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...
) (2013)
*
The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore
The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore is the co-headlining tour by American singer Kesha and American rapper Macklemore, in support of Kesha's third studio album ''Rainbow'' and Macklemore's second solo studio album ''Gemini'', both released in ...
(with
Macklemore
Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewi ...
) (2018)
Supporting
* Rihanna –
Last Girl on Earth
Last Girl on Earth was the third concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. The tour visited Europe, Asia, North America and Australia to support her fourth studio album, ''Rated R'' (2009).
The tour was announced through MTV News in ...
(2010)
Filmography
* ''Bravo Supershow'' (2007)
* ''Final Flesh'' (2009)
* ''Walt Disney's Princess Ke$ha'' (2011)
* ''
Katy Perry: Part of Me'' (2012)
* ''
Jem and the Holograms
''Jem'', also known as ''Jem and the Holograms'', is an American animated musical television series that ran from 1985 to 1988. The series is about record company owner Jerrica Benton, her singer alter-ego Jem, and the adventures of Jem and her ...
'' (2015)
* ''
A Ghost Story
''A Ghost Story'' is a 2017 American supernatural drama film written and directed by David Lowery and starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, with Will Oldham, Liz Cardenas Franke, Sonia Acevedo, and Rob Zabrecky in supporting roles; Kesha appear ...
'' (2017)
* ''Rainbow: The Film'' (2018)
See also
*
List of animal rights advocates
Advocates of animal rights support the philosophy of animal rights. They believe that many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as in avoiding suff ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
1987 births
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century American rappers
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
21st-century LGBT people
21st-century women pianists
21st-century women rappers
Activists from California
American autobiographers
American cosmetics businesspeople
American dance musicians
American electronic musicians
American female hip hop musicians
American guitarists
American hip hop singers
American people of Hungarian descent
American people of Polish descent
American pianists
American pop musicians
American pop rock singers
American synth-pop musicians
American women activists
American women in electronic music
American women pop singers
American women rappers
American women singer-songwriters
Barnard College alumni
Dance-pop musicians
Electropop musicians
Feminist musicians
LGBT people from California
LGBT people from Tennessee
LGBT rappers
LGBT rights activists from the United States
LGBT singers from the United States
Living people
MTV Europe Music Award winners
Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Pop rappers
RCA Records artists
Singer-songwriters from California
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
Singers from Los Angeles
Singers with a three-octave vocal range
Synth-pop singers
Women autobiographers
Yodelers