Showing that she really is a warrior, Kesha isn't letting ongoing legal drama stand in the way of her true passion: making music. Just two weeks ago, the "Tik Tok" singer performed at Coachella with Zedd. Now, her friend is coming through for her once again. On Tuesday night, Kesha returned to the recording studio, joined by the music producer-slash-DJ. She shared a black-and-white Instagram of herself singing with the following caption:
it's a miracle when someone gives you a chance at finding your voice again with no reason other than that he is a f*cking beautiful person with a heart of gold @zedd #truecolors
This is special for multiple reasons. First of all, this marks Kesha's return to the studio, following a judge's rejection of her request and subsequent appeal to leave her recording contract at Sony, where she worked with producer Dr. Luke (real name: Lucasz Gottwald). In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke, alleging rape as well as years of emotional and sexual abuse. Gottwald has adamantly and repeatedly denied the claims and countersued Kesha for defamation. Kesha later claimed she was told that she could leave the contract, if she "lied" and said she made up the allegations. (Gottwald's team claims this is untrue.) Kesha's return to the studio is major because it's been three years since she released music publicly. Her last single was "Timber" with Pitbull in 2013. That's far too long!
Another reason this rocks is that Zedd really followed through. Back in February, he tweeted at Kesha, "very very sorry to hear about the whole situation. I'll be happy to produce a song for you if you want my help." Now, it looks like it finally is happening. Many celebs have voiced their support for Kesha — from Lady Gaga to Adele to Ariana Grande — and it's nice to see Zedd helping her pursue her love of music.
The most powerful part of Kesha's Instagram caption is the notion of "finding [her] voice again." Because Kesha hasn't officially released music since making her claims against Dr. Luke, this is really her first opportunity to speak out through her music. And considering the particulars of her ongoing legal battle, there's power in Kesha speaking through song, whatever message or story she chooses to share via this new track.
She also used the hashtag #TrueColors, which is the same song Kesha and Zedd performed at Coachella. Perhaps this means that the two decided to record their version of his track in the studio to release to fans. Or maybe it's just a throwback to the last time they worked together, almost saying it shows Zedd's own true colors by having her back. But it's also interesting that Zedd posted a tweet Tuesday night from the studio, using a color palette emoji. Definitely seems like a hint to me.
However, it's unclear how exactly this plays out with the legal situation. Maybe if they're recording a version of Zedd's song, there could be some legal loophole? According to Entertainment Weekly, Dr. Luke's lawyer said in February, "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." However, Kesha's lawyer claimed to a BuzzFeed reporter this was an "elusive promise."
Logistics aside, it's exciting to see Kesha hitting up the studio, which means new music must be in the works. Personally, I can't wait. It's been too long since her songs hit the airwaves.
On April 3, Dr. Luke's spokesperson released the following statement to Rolling Stone.
The Court repeatedly stated Kesha is already free to record without Dr. Luke, and that she had not presented any facts supporting her claims. That's because all the evidence — including Kesha's own videotaped sworn testimony — show her allegations are false. The only thing Kesha is not free to do is to continue to lie about Dr. Luke through publicity stunts and outrageous smears, ignoring the fact that by her own free will she went to work and entered into new contracts with Dr. Luke years after this "incident" supposedly happened. Her goal all along has been solely personal enrichment by seeking to break contracts that brought her success and millions so she can enter into more lucrative ones. We look forward to our day in court holding Kesha accountable for her lies.
In October 2014, Kesha's lawyer released a statement to Billboard when she filed her 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.
Back in February, Sony's attorney told the New York Times:
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.
