Many were appalled when news broke out about musician Kesha Sebert losing her lawsuit against Sony Music. The singer is trying to break away from the Sony Music label and producer Dr. Luke, who allegedly verbally, physically and sexually abused her.
Back in 2013, Kesha went into rehab for treatment of an eating disorder. She later came out to the press blaming Dr. Luke for it. According to Sebert, Dr. Luke called her a “big, fat refrigerator” and wanted the singer’s management to do something about her weight gain. He also reportedly told Kesha that she was “not that pretty”. Fans disliked Dr. Luke before these allegations, claiming that he prevented her from making the music she really wanted to.
In late 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke. She claimed that he made sexual advances toward her beginning at the time when she signed with him at the age of eighteen. Dr. Luke also allegedly forced Kesha to consume drugs and alcohol. The “Die Young” singer even claims that Luke forced her to snort a drug before getting on a plane and then sexually assaulted her when in flight. Sebert also recalls a time of physical abuse, saying that in one instance, Luke violently swung his arms at her.
Yikes, no wonder she doesn’t want to work with him. On February 19, a judge ruled that Kesha cannot leave the Sony Music label. In the judge’s words, Kesha was “asking the court to decimate a contract that was heavily negotiated and typical for the industry”. Also, the lack of hospital records and medical evidence regarding Kesha’s allegations did not help her case. Pictures of Kesha crying in court hit the internet soon after the hearing.
After seeing those pictures and hearing about the trial, numerous musicians have spoken about their support for Kesha. Lady Gaga tweeted, “There are people all over the world who love you. And I can say truly I am in awe of your bravery.” Pop singer JoJo had words of support as well, tweeting “I don’t know all the facts, of course, but the bottom line is: it is a terrible feeling to not own your voice/ be able to release music.” Constantly-headlining singer, Taylor Swift has even donated $250,000 to Kesha to help with any of her financial needs. #FreeKesha has been trending since news of her hearing.
On February 24th, Kesha spoke out on Facebook about all the support she had been getting, saying that she was “beyond humbled and grateful”. Kesha also stated that she would “be willing to work with Sony if they do the right thing and break all ties that bind me to my abuser”. She concluded this post by talking about her support for other victims of abuse, saying “I now know how this all feels and will forever fight for you the way perfect strangers have been fighting for me.”
There is still hope for Kesha. Fans and celebrities continue to show their support for her. One way that Kesha’s fans have shown their support for her is by signing a petition to boycott Sony products. Over 200,000 fans have signed this petition so far. British singer Adele announced her support for Kesha when accepting her Brit Award. It is hopeful to think that with all of this public support that this issue will be resolved soon and Kesha will be able to make music without association with Dr. Luke. If the issue isn’t resolved soon, it will not be ignored by fans and celebrities. Stay strong Kesha!