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Kelly Clarkson Speaks Out: “I Was Blackmailed by My Label to Work with Dr. Luke”

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at New Haven chapter.

Just when you think the media frenzy was over between Dr. Luke and pop artist, Kesha, we find another big name celebrity speaking out on the abuse by this big shot producer.  Rolling Stone Magazine had published an article that American Idol’s first winner, Kelly Clarkson, has spoken to Australia’s KIIS, claiming that she had been “blackmailed” by her record label to work with Dr. Luke.  “Because I literally got blackmailed by my label. They were like ‘We will not put your album out if you don’t do this,’” is what Clarkson had stated as her only reasoning for working with Dr. Luke, whom had been one of the brains behind her more unforgettable hits like “Since U Been Gone,” “Behind these Hazel Eyes,” and “My Life Would Suck Without You.”

Just in case you may be a little confused and are fairly behind in recent pop culture new, “Tik Tok” singer, Kesha, previously known as Ke$ha, had recently been denied an injunction by a New York judge that would have allowed Kesha to sever her contract with Sony Music and Luke’s Kemosabe Records.  Due to the EXTREMLY evident social injustice, the powerful ladies of Hollywood are putting in the two cents that all women in the country have been most definitely thinking!  

Kelly Clarkson and Lukasz ‘Dr. Luke’ Gottwald during ASCAP Pop Music Awards in Los Angeles, CA on April 18th, 2007

Clarkson is not the only artist to defend Kesha after her hard legal loss.  Other artists such as Taylor Swift, Adele, and Lady Gaga have all spoken out in support of Kesha, in hopes to bring attention to the hard reality of rape culture.

The Grammy-award winning artist had also stated, in the very same interview, that she wasn’t a fan of Dr. Luke’s character, calling it “poor,” while also stating that many artists do not like him and that he is not of honest nature.  “Unfortunately, when you have that poor of character – so many artists don’t like you and don’t like working with you – that’s not normal.  I get along with everyone I work with, but he’s not a good guy for me,” Clarkson said of Luke.  “Obviously he’s a talented dude.  He just lied a lot. I’ve run into a couple of really bad situations.  Musically, it’s been really hard for me because he will just lie to people,” she continued, “He’s just kind of difficult to work with; kind of demeaning.”

And just when you think she can’t get anymore badass, shortly after Kesha’s injunction was denied, she threw Luke some more shade with a tweet stating, “Trying 2 not say anything since I can’t say anything nice about a person… so this is me not talking about Dr. Luke.” Atta girl Kelly!

Hi! My name is Taylor and I am a Business Management major with a double minor in Marketing and Psychology. I'm originally from Brooklyn but then moved to East Meadow, NY, on Long Island. I am the President of the American Marketing Association on campus and I was an intern and then worked my way up to retail operations for the NY Islanders Hockey Club before their big move to Brooklyn. A fun fact about me would be that I used to run track and cross country throughout all of high school and I've completed a half marathon in approximately 1 hour and 42 minutes!
Hi! My name is Caitlin Duncan. I'm from Enfield, CT, and a senior at University of New Haven. I am the Co-Founder and Campus Correspondent for Her Campus New Haven. I am also a Founding Member of Alpha Sigma Alpha's Theta Omega chapter. In my free time, I can be found singing Taylor Swift, reading, or cuddling with my dogs, Paisley and Mandy. Feel free to contact me at caitduncan@hercampus.com! HCXO!