Anyone and everyone knows Kesha’s music from the early 2000s, whether it be her song “Blow” or “Timber” featuring Pitbull. What we didn’t know, however, was what was going on behind the scenes.
Kesha was 18 in the year of 2005 when she signed a six-album deal with Lukasz Gottwald, a songwriter and producer. The public knew him for working with popular musicians such as Rihanna and Katy Perry, but Kesha shocked them all as she accused him of sexual harassment and assault (Elle).
Gottwald denied these allegations and followed it up with a defamation lawsuit against the young pop star in 2014. Due to her binding contract, Kesha continued to sing with him until 2023, when the last album of the six was released. After almost 10 years, the two reached a settlement that would ultimately dismiss the defamation claim – she now has total control over her music, allowing her to work with any producer she wants (Elle).
Many people still did not know about this entire story until the release of her latest single called “Joyride.” Savannah Defino, a senior at Ramapo notes, “I have known Kesha for her upbeat and catchy songs. To find out about this story so late makes me realize that there is more than what we as the public can see, and I am happy to see her strength after going through such a struggling experience.”
After being freed from Gottwald’s grasp, she has founded her own record label titled Kesha Records. She is working on a new album as we speak and going on her “Freedom Tour,” and we should expect a change in style for her, as seen in “Joyride”; she now has more of a voice and strength to the way she sings, and “Joyride” has a more gothic and campy sound compared to her extreme pop music from early on in her career. This song has received mixed reviews with there being no “deep” meaning behind the lyrics and it being appealing to only a specific audience.
“I haven’t seen such a drastic change in someone’s music style, but I can definitely say I’m not a fan of this one,” says Victoria Acunto, senior at Ramapo and avid listener of her early songs.
There’s no telling what’s in store for the music industry with Kesha becoming a new woman. What we do know is that there is no stopping her and what she plans to do next.
