WHY KESHA’S BATTLE ISN’T JUST ABOUT HER

Social media was dominated by the #freekesha movement last weekend and all through the following week. This sparked after Kesha was denied an injunction that would have allowed her to work on music without Sony or Dr. Luke. The battle for freedom began in 2014, after Kesha checked herself into rehab for an eating disorder. Instantly speculation began, leading many to believe that Luke was responsible for her bulimia. One account claims that while on the set of her music video, Luke compared her body to a “f*cking refrigerator” and in turn put her on a 2-week juice cleanse. After Kesha completed treatment, she swiftly sued Dr. Luke claiming rape and abuse. Luke then counter-sued saying Kesha was only doing this in an attempt to get out of her contract with him. After that, the issue stayed dormant. No one spoke up for Kesha, no one even really talked about it. Kesha screamed “RAPE” and no one cared. But following Friday, after a judge denied her injunction, stating she had to “do the commercially right thing”, a social media frenzy sparked. Support for Kesha began pouring out like never before. Top artists like Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Lorde and Iggy Azalea all took to social media to show their support for Kesha (just a few artists of the many). Later artists like Demi Lovato and Adele voiced their own support. In a generous effort, Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to Kesha to help her “in this trying time”. While the support is undeniably great, the problem still remains – a 28 year old woman is forced to work with her alleged abuser in an effort to do the commercially right thing. A woman claims she was raped, and a judge basically says that money is more important than her own safety. This case is a horrific one. Whether or not Kesha’s claims are valid (I am prone to think they are), what this says about rape in our culture is disgusting. People are all too quick to doubt that the rape happened, blame the woman for what she was wearing or what she was drinking, or even worse, they just don’t care. That seems to be the case here. Kesha says she was raped and the judge just doesn’t care. They will not let her get away from her abuser, or her contract, simply for the reason of profit. People are angry about this, and rightfully so. Kesha should not be forced to work with her abuser, or anyone who did nothing to stop it (Ahem – Sony Records). But while Kesha is the individual victim in this battle, her battle is bigger than she is. Her battle is one for all people who have been raped or abused, her battle is for those who weren’t believed, who were branded liars and those who were made slaves to their abusers so that the money could still be made. Kesha herself even stated this in a personal message she posted to her Facebook. If you haven’t heard about Kesha’s battle, look it up, be informed. And most of all, realize that we still live in a culture where money is more important than a person’s basic human rights. Money is more important than Kesha. Money is more important than rape.

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KESHA

Perhaps one of the most underrated and yet one of the most successful pop stars of the industry is Kesha. Many people have come to the conclusion that Kesha is merely a sleazy, untalented, auto-tuned mess. But that is far from the truth. Kesha is one of the only pop stars who can say that their first single is one of the best selling singles of all time. She is also one of the only stars who can say she had 8 consecutive top 10 hits and have all of her singles be certified gold or platinum. Not to mention writing a book, having her own TV show and being a judge on a singing competition. Having the same amount of top 10 singles as “pop princess” Britney Spears, Kesha has made a name for herself. But did she do it on her own terms? All press coverage on Kesha since the beginning of 2014 has been her rehab stint for an eating disorder and her subsequent lawsuit against long time producer Dr. Luke. There seems to be a lot of debate as the whether her claims of sexual abuse and rape are true or not. I personally have tried to not form an opinion either way. Yes some of the claims seem a little far-fetched and there’s a lot of back and forth happening between her and Dr. Luke, but when someone pursues legal action against another person for rape, that’s nothing to take lightly. Many claim that this is a mere attempt on Kesha’s part to get out of her contract with RCA and Kemosabe Records. And while this could be the case, why should she not have the right to get out of it. It’s clear based on the filing against him that Kesha has no desire to work with Dr. Luke. Why then should she still have to follow through on a contract with him. A man who gave her little creative control over any music she produced and the man whom she claims is partly responsible for her eating disorder. Their whole court battle is a lot of he-said she-said but honestly I feel bad for Kesha. She is one of the very few pop stars I enjoy and one of my favorite singers. I think she is one of the most misunderstood and talented people in the industry, not to mention her support of animals, the LGBT community and her promotion of love. All she ever expresses is how much she wants to make music for her fans, and yet due to her contract with Luke, is unable to do that. I think this shows just how much she wants out. If Kesha wanted to continue to make generic pop songs about partying, she would have no problem staying with Luke’s label and releasing albums. BUT that isn’t her desire. However until all the legal stuff is cleared up and the contract dealt with, she’s at a standstill and can’t go on making music, the music she wants to make. No matter what opinion people have on her claims against Luke, no one can deny she desperately wants out of any dealings with the man. And if that’s true who’s to say her claims aren’t? Hopefully the legal issues can be solved soon and Kesha can go about making the music she wants to make and show the side of her that perhaps she never really was allowed to show during her time with Dr. Luke.