This past Friday, February 19th, Kesha’s hopeful fight for justice came to a screeching halt and people are finally taking notice.
The Backstory: It has been 17 months since Kesha’s last visit to court when she sued her producer and founder of Kemosabe Records, Dr. Luke, for drugging, raping and abusing her shortly after her 18th birthday. This alleged verbal and physical abuse continued throughout the last 10 years of them working together, but there is no concrete evidence to validate this. Dr. Luke denied these claims and believed that Kesha and her team were falsely accusing him to extort money.
The Update: Kesha is contractually obligated to produce 6 albums with Sony which would require the singer to work in close quarters with the man who abused her. The purpose of Friday’s court ruling was to release Kesha from her contract, allowing her the freedom to make music with another record label.
The Verdict: The New York Supreme Court sided with Dr. Luke, refusing to free Kesha from her contract, binding her to create 4 more albums with Kemosabe Records. Thus came the birth of the hashtag #FreeKesha, which has taken social media by storm. Prominent musicians and celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Lena Dunham, Kelly Clarkson, Lorde, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato have been speaking up in support of the pop singer. Taylor Swift has even given Kesha $250,000 in monetary support.
What’s Next: This is only the first ruling in the case, so Kesha fans will have to wait patiently for new music as this is likely the beginning of a long and grueling legal dispute.
