What You Need to Know about Kesha and Dr. Luke

As you scrolled past #FreeKesha tweets this week, I’m sure you either gave it a “like” or simply furrowed your eyebrows. Maybe you thought the tweet would fade into the oblivion of your Twitter feed, as if it’s another piece of Twitter beef.  However, this isn’t some random scenario which will dissolve in a week. This is someone’s life being torn apart and it’s only the beginning. So lets stop scrolling and start reading:

1. Kesha

Kesha Rose Serbert, otherwise known as Kesha, is a singer and songwriter who came into the limelight the summer of 2010 after her hit “Tik Tok” climbed the charts. After her single, Kesha skipped and hopped around the charts with the release of her album “Animal.” More recently, Kesha’s latest musical appearance was singing alongside Pitbull in his hit “Timber.”

Now enter Dr. Luke. 

2. Dr. Luke

Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, otherwise known as Dr. Luke, is the owner of Kemosabe Records under Sony Music Entertainment. He is a major music producer who made hits for big names such as P!nk, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry and a slew of other artists. Dr. Luke has also been Kesha’s producer for the past ten years and is credited for being a serious catalyst of her success. I must add that he’s also not a doctor, in any shape or form.

3. What She Said

In a 2014 lawsuit against Dr. Luke, Kesha explains that the producer mentally, verbally, physically and sexually abused her a repeated amount of times. In one instance, Kesha explained that Dr. Luke was a root cause in her battle with an eating disorder, which ultimately resulted in her admittance into rehab. On the set of one of her music videos it is reported that Dr. Luke called Kesha a “fat f*****g refrigerator” and later added “You are not that pretty, you are not that talented, you are just lucky to have me.”

In another instance, Kesha stated that the producer gave her what he called “sober pills” only to wake up hours later in his bed with no recollection of how she got there.

Draw your own conclusion, but it is quite clear what’s being alluding to.

4. What He Said

I worry about his definiton of ‘sister.’

After all allegations were made, Dr. Luke took to Twitter several times proclaiming his innocence. In one instance, he stated that he never raped Kesha and even went as far to say they never had sex and that she was like his “little sister.” Dr. Luke later stated, “It’s sad that she would turn a contract negotiation into something so horrendous and untrue.” Following his claim to innocence, Dr. Luke filed his own countersuit against Kesha on the basis that she is making things up to defame his image as well as breach her contract.

5. Friday’s Ruling

On Friday Feb. 19, a New York Supreme Court judge made a ruling in the case which started during the fall of 2015 when Kesha’s lawyer made a motion that would allow Kesha to record with producers and labels outside of Sony. The judge ruled against the motion on the grounds that Kesha’s testimony was vague and lacked concrete evidence. As for Kesha’s claim for freedom from her abuser, Dr. Luke’s lawyer said in a statement after the ruling that “Kesha is ‘free’ to record and release music without working with Dr. Luke… Any claim that she isn’t ‘free’ is a myth.”

6. The Elephant in the Room

There has been serious doubt thrown Kesha’s way ever since a video from her testimony from a previous case was brought to light. Back in 2011, five years after Kesha signed with Sony, Kesha’s previous manager sued both Kesha and Luke. During Kesha’s testimony she was asked if Dr. Luke ever roofied her and she said no. She later went on to say that Dr. Luke never made any sexual advances on her.

Whether Kesha lied on the stand or not is up to question; however, what she said clearly contradicts her current claims.

7. #FreeKesha Continues

Regardless of Kesha’s past deposition, fans and celebrities alike continue to support Kesha. #FreeKesha has been trending since 2012 when a fan first believed Dr. Luke was controlling Kesha after allegedly forcing her to sing a specific controversial lyric in her song “Die Young.”  Now celebrities are chiming in about the struggles Kesha is facing. In one case in particular, Jessica Chastain’s tweet showcased the words of Lena Dunham as she boldly explained just how chained Kesha really is. People from all across the globe are supporting Kesha: Lady Gaga’s shout out for being brave, Taylor Swift’s donation of $250,000 and Adele’s shout out at the Brit awards are just a few examples of how people are rallying behind Kesha.

The following tweets are just a few of the many that have surfaced after Friday’s ruling:

• dr luke
• kesha
• sony