“I know what it feels like to have a part of you forcibly taken away from you and it breaks my heart to know that Kesha feels unsafe in doing something she loves.”
“I think it’s terrible that someone who is physically verbally, and mentally abused cannot get out of a contract that puts them in harm’s way and holds them back from doing something they love”
“It saddens me that this is Kesha’s fate. She didn’t even ask to have him put in jail, she just wants to get away from him. And it honestly scares me to think about what the future holds for her and for women in general.”
“So I think it’s horrible that Kesha’s claims are being questioned about sexual abuse…I think it’s important to remember that today’s court decision was focused on contract law and precedent. The judge made a decision as to who would face the most harm by suspending the contract during legal proceedings and found that the recording company would”
In 2014, Kesha started a civil suit against Dr. Luke because of sexual and emotional abuse that has been going on for years. Kesha has revealed that she once woke up in Dr. Luke’s hotel room naked after being drugged and raped. Kesha also admitted that Dr. Luke said that if Kesha spoke up about this abuse then he would ruin her life along with her family’s. As if, the sexual assault was not enough, there was verbal and emotional abuse that went on. Dr. Luke criticized her weight and once even made a disgusting comment that compared her to a refrigerator. All of that abuse led the singer to become bulimic and she went to rehab for it in January of 2014.
Kesha is under contract with Kemosabe Records which is a subsidiary of Sony Records. The contract states that she has to create six albums with Dr. Luke. Kesha filed a suit asking for her to be temporarily released from her contract until the court has decided the lawsuits and countersuits between Kesha and Dr. Luke. Dr. Luke has filed suits against Kesha and her family for breach of contract and defamation. On Friday, the judge denied that injunction saying that Kesha was not forced to work with Dr. Luke because he is only a subsidiary of Sony. But Kesha has to work with Sony. But what difference does it make when she has to work for the company protecting her rapist? What difference does it make when she feels unsafe to work and do what she loves? All she wanted was the ability to produce music outside from this contract while she went through the law- and counter- suits. She was not asked for it to be null and void just suspended temporarily.
So what is being done to help Kesha? Well, there has been multiple GoFundMe pages made by fans to either buy Kesha out of her contract or help her with her legal bills. One page that has stood out to me was made by a guy named Brandon de la Cruz. His goal is two million dollars and so far he has raised $16,560 and it has been covered by USA Today, Billboard, and Rolling Stone. Also, on Sunday, Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to Kesha to help cover her legal fees and to show her support in this trying time. I think that is an amazing move by a singer but that feeling was not shared. Demi Lovato criticized Taylor by tweeting “Take something to Capitol Hill or actually speak out about something and then I’ll be impressed”. Demi said it was because not everyone has money to give but everyone has the power to speak up. Many celebrities have shown their support to Kesha by tweeting and posting on other media. Celebrities like Lady Gaga, Lorde, and Ariana Grande. Even Kelly Clarkson who has worked with Dr. Luke tweeted saying “Trying 2 not say anything since I can’t say anything nice about a person… so this is me not talking about Dr. Luke”. Talk about being a little cryptic!!
I am going to be honest and say this is all ridiculous. It is obvious that Kesha has been through a lot of emotional pain and that she deserves some freedom in this free time. I understand that contracts are legally binding but come on! Give the girl a break. All she wants is the ability to still make and produce music while she recovers. I cannot speak to how she is feeling but I understand how important music can be. The fact of the matter is, in my opinion Kesha has the right to produce music in order to help her heal. She does not need another thing taken away from her. I understand that Sony has said she does not work with Dr. Luke but that is not the point. Kesha wants to be away from Dr. Luke and the company he is a subsidiary of. She does not want to be reminded of everything that happened to her when she is doing what she loves. I love Kesha, her music is amazing and it helped me feel like a “rebel” and a “cool kid” in high school. She helped show me a different kind of passion when it comes to music. Kesha deserves to be free until this nightmare is over.