Ariana Grande Speaks Out In Support Of Kesha

She's already spoken out on social media, but Ariana Grande isn't done showing her support for Kesha. During an interview on Carson Daly's The Daily Download radio show, Grande spoke out support of Kesha following the fellow musician's ongoing legal battle with music producer Dr. Luke, which came to a head in February when a New York judge ruled that Kesha — who, in October 2014, alleged in a lawsuit that Dr. Luke raped her when she was 18 years old — could not break her contract with him or Sony. (Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, has publicly denied Kesha's claims, as well as filed a lawsuit against her for defamation.) Grande joins many other celebrities, including Adele, Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift, and Fiona Apple, who have expressed their support for the singer-songwriter.

On February 19, Grande posted on Twitter that her "heart was with" Kesha. In her interview with Daly on Friday, Grande once against voiced her support for Kesha:

I love Kesha, I worked with her when I was a lot younger, and we've been friends — I support her regardless of what is going on. [...] The incredible double standards that we face on a daily basis, in the industry and just in the world, it’s shocking. I would be so amused — and pardon me if this comes across as sexist — but I don’t think a male artist would be in the same position right now. Sorry. If I’m speaking out about something I’m passionate about, I’m willing to take the brunt for fighting for what I believe in. And my fellow women are definitely something that I will always be one of the first to speak up about.

Grande, like Lady Gaga, tied in Kesha's case with a larger problem of women lacking power both in and outside the music industry. Listen to the full quote below.

Dr. Luke has remained adamant in denying the allegations against him. After the verdict that Kesha could not break her contract with Sony was released, the producer's attorney released the following statement to Rolling Stone :

The New York County Supreme Court on Friday found that Kesha is already "free" to record and release music without working with Dr. Luke as a producer if she doesn’t want to. Any claim that she isn’t "free" is a myth ...

As Dr. Luke has said repeatedly, the allegations against him are outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money. Kesha and her counsel have cavalierly subjected Dr. Luke and his family to trial by Twitter, using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation for financial gain while failing to support their claims… It will further be shown that the incidents alleged never happened.

Back in 2014, Kesha's lawyer released this statement to Billboard about the purpose of the lawsuit:

This lawsuit is a wholehearted effort by Kesha to regain control of her music career and her personal freedom after suffering for ten years as a victim of mental manipulation, emotional abuse and sexual assault at the hands of Dr. Luke. The facts presented in our lawsuit paint a picture of a man who is controlling and willing to commit horrible acts of abuse in an attempt to intimidate an impressionable, talented, young female artist into submission for his personal gain. Kesha is focused on moving her life and her career beyond this terrible time.

As for Sony, the company that Kesha remains under contract with, made this statement to The New York Times in February, via an attorney:

Sony has made it possible for Kesha to record without any connection, involvement or interaction with Luke whatsoever, but Sony is not in a position to terminate the contractual relationship between Luke and Kesha. Sony is doing everything it can to support the artist in these circumstances, but is legally unable to terminate the contract to which it is not a party.