On Tuesday, Billboard reported that there was a chance that Kesha would not perform at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards based on a statement released by Dick Clark Productions stating that Dr. Luke's record label "rescinded its approval." (At the time of the report, Bustle reached out to reps for Kesha, Sony, and Dr. Luke for further comment, but did not receive a response.) That same night, Kesha confirmed that she would not perform at the BBMAs in a heartbreaking Instagram post, in which she wrote, "I'm very sad and sorry to say I won't be allowed to do this. I just wanted to make very clear that this performance was about me honoring one of my favorite songwriters of all time and has never had anything at all to do with Dr. Luke," despite prior reports stating the opposite. Now, Lady Gaga is defending Kesha in a tweet she posted on Wednesday night. In Gaga's post, not only did she liken Dr. Luke (real name: Lukasz Gottwald) to a Disney villain, but she pretty much speaks for every Kesha fan who is beyond ready for the 29-year-old singer's voice to be freed.
In her tweet, Lady Gaga wrote, "Isn't it strange that it's legal to own a woman this way? Listen Ursula, we want her voice back. #freeKesha." I think it's safe to say that the American Horror Story actor won't be silencing her voice anytime soon when it comes to defending her friend.
Kesha fans are thrilled with Lady Gaga's response and have taken to Twitter to praise the singer. They, too, are ready for Kesha to get her voice back just like Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
This isn't the first time Gaga's defended Kesha. In February, she dedicated her Oscars performance to her fellow singer. Even before Gaga took the stage at the Academy Awards, she tweeted a photo of herself and Kesha holding hands and captioned it, "Free Kesha."
If that isn't enough, she also wrote a passionate post on Instagram in February, in which she claimed,
The very reason women don't speak up for years is the fear that no one will believe them or their abuser has threatened their life or life of their loved ones/livelihood in order to keep their victim quiet and under control. What happened to Kesha has happened to many female artists, including myself, and it will affect her for the rest of her life.
The situation between Dr. Luke and Kesha stems from the "True Colors" singer alleging in a October 2014 lawsuit that the music producer sexually and emotionally abused her. Dr. Luke has repeatedly denied Kesha's claims and filed a countersuit for defamation. In February 2016, Dr. Luke took to Twitter to deny Kesha's claims, tweeting, "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." In February, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich denied Kesha's request for an injunction to end her contract with Sony.
Kesha’s lawyer released the following statement to Billboard on October 2014:
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.
On April 3, a spokesperson for Dr. Luke released a statement to Rolling Stone, which reads:
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.
On February 24, an attorney for Sony 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.
