Kesha: “I’ve learned from my heartbreak”
The American singer discusses her long-anticipated return to music amid a devastating legal battle – and how she’s recovering after horrific rape claims
She was the pop princess whose S single Tik Tok rocketed her to the top of the charts. But Kesha Sebert’s career has taken a dark turn in recent years due to an ongoing sexual assault case against music producer Dr Luke (also known as Lukas Gottwald) – who signed her when she was just 18 years old.
In 2014, the star sued Dr Luke – who was the CEO of Sony-owned label Kemosabe records – for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence and emotional abuse, which had allegedly occurred over 10 years of working together. She claimed he had regularly drugged her, raped her and insisted his emotional and physical abuse caused her to develop an eating disorder. Last year a judge rejected all of Kesha’s claims against Dr Luke.
Kesha claimed she even attempted suicide due to the intense body-shaming from Dr Luke – who has denied all allegations – revealing in 2016 that he referred to her as a “fat f**king refrigerator.”
“I was under immense pressure to starve myself,” she confessed. “And I tried to and almost killed myself in the process.”
But despite the years of turmoil, Kesha is back with her third album Rainbow. And while the record has been released under her old label Sony, Kesha insist it’s still been a huge healing journey.
RETURN TO MUSIC
The brave star explains: “The reason the record is called Rainbow is because it’s the return to colour, and colour to me is very symbolic of light, joy and youthfulness – and with youthfulness comes naivety. I feel like you grow up, you go through all of this stuff and you get your heart broken.
“For me, this was going back and trying to heal my heart as best I could. I don’t think I could have made this record without the past couple of years because through all of it, you make art. That’s where all of this came from. I am so proud of this album.”
The singer’s initial request to make and perform music outside of her contract with Sony and Dr Luke was denied, sparking a huge backlash. In 2015, fans started the hashtag #Freekesha and crowds protested outside the Sony headquarters in New York. Singer Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to the cause, while Girls creator Lena Dunham penned an emotional essay and fellow artists Adele, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Lorde and Demi Lovato all Tweeted their support.
Kesha proceeded with the case, but her attempts to seek freedom from the record label were rejected in March this year for the third time. The ordeal is still ongoing as Dr Luke – who has since stepped down from his position as CEO of Kemosabe records – is suing Kesha for defamation of character and the case is expected to go to trial in September. He took to Twitter in February last year, writing: “I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her. Kesha and I were friends for many years and she was like my little sister.”
Amid all the drama, the singer has found support from her hairstylist boyfriend Brad Ashenfelter, who she has been loved-up with since 2014. She says: “He’s [Brad’s] a really, really sweet human being. I’m very happy to have him in my life.”
PERSONAL GROWTH
And the singer – who no longer goes by her former stage name Ke$ha – says she has found a lot of personal growth since turning 30 in March this year.
She laughs: “I am a 30-year-old woman,
‘I’ve grown up a bit, but I still remain childlike’
let’s be real. I do a lot of face masks. This album is representative of where I am in my life right now. I’ve found a lot of personal growth and the healing has come from me healing my soul. There was a long time where I didn’t know how to do that.” But the star insists she still enjoys her old music and her love for all things glitter. She says: “I still have a connection to my old songs. It’s not like: ‘Oh, I’m not that artist any more.’ And I’ll never lose my love of glitter. I feel like I have grown up a little bit but I still remain very childlike –in a good way.”