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Kesha Will Be Performing At the Billboard Music Awards After All

Kesha fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she is no longer banned from the 2016 Billboard Music Awards.

Music producer Dr. Luke has been under fire this year after Kesha accused him of sexually, emotionally, and physically abusing her. Unfortunately, Kesha is considered to be in breach of her original contract as long as she refuses to continue working with the producer, thus explaining the absence of her long-awaited third album. The singer is allowed to sing cover songs, however, which had fans excited for the upcoming Billboard Music Awards. 

On May 17th, Dick Clark Productions released a bizzare public statement, announcing that Kesha would no longer be allowed to perform at the award show.

“Kesha accepted an invitation to perform on the show and she received written approval from Dr. Luke’s record label, Kemosabe Records,” read the statement, “Kemosabe subsequently rescinded its approval following a media report on Wednesday May 11 regarding Kesha’s appearance on the BBMAs.”

The singer was originally set to sing a cover of one of Bob Dylan’s songs.

Following the statement, Kesha took to Instagram to defend her motives.



Just two days later, Dick Clark Productions retracted their original statement and released the following announcement:

“Kesha’s performance on the Billboard Music Awards was always approved, in good faith. Approval was only suspended when Kemosabe learned Kesha was to use the performance as a platform to discuss the litigation. Now that Kemosabe has obtained assurances, that it is relying upon, from Kesha, her representatives and Dick Clark Productions that neither Kesha nor her supporters will use the performance as such a platform, the approval has been restored.”

We’re glad they made the right decision—this is about allowing an artist to do what she loves.

Savanna Tavakoli is a 21-year-old journalism student at Boston University. Savanna plans to use journalism as a platform for educating the public about everything from current political issues to which celebrities just tied the knot. Her interests include pop culture, female empowerment, advocating for gender and sexual equality, red lipstick, m&m cookies, and binge-watching Netflix in her free time.