Kesha, Did I Misjudge You?

I wrote a blog about Ke$ha (does she still stylize her name that way?) in 2013 I wrote a blog about how much I really didn't like her music, mostly based on the flippant attitude toward sexuality that she took in virtually every song. As a mom of girls, I'm constantly aware that pop culture icons can have a big impact on my kids, so I choose to limit their exposure to things that I think could be detrimental to their self-image or their development into strong, intelligent, discerning women of character. Kesha, I determined, was the antithesis to everything I wanted my girls to be.

no woman should have to go through this #FreeKesha pic.twitter.com/4MBXG7sC3h

— Houssein (@CheekyHoussein) February 19, 2016

Shortly after that she sort of faded from the forefront of the music scene, and I just assumed she must be taking a break to enjoy her wealth, since I hadn't heard of any unsuccessful albums being dropped. Turns out I was wrong about that. I read an article on Mashable that revealed that Kesha has been in a legal battle to get out of her contract with her producer "Dr. Luke" (who presumably received his doctorate from the same institution as Dr. Dre). Kesha alleged in court that Dr. Luke had been sexually harassing her, assaulting her and threatening her since he brought her to fame out of obscurity at the age of 18. (She is now 28).

Astonishingly, the courts upheld her contract and are forcing her to continue to work with and for her alleged abuser to make six more albums. Dr. Luke countersued for defamation of character, stating that this whole thing is a charade to get out of her recording contracts.

This is a tough case. On one hand, as a woman, I never want to disbelieve another woman when she says she has been abused or raped. I am inclined to immediately believe and want to offer help. On the other hand, artists making false allegations and suing to get out of unprofitable contracts is not unheard of in the recording industry. Another thing that is not unheard of in the recording industry though, is older, powerful men taking advantage of young women who desperately want to be famous and will put up with a lot of crap for it.

I am pretty sure Kesha is telling the truth on this one for the main reason that she's not seeking money in the suit, just dissolution of contract, and was even willing to work with another producer within the Sony record label. It's hard to look at those things and still think this is all about money.

Now, based on my previous blog, you might think that this is where I start finger wagging and saying that Kesha's loose morals is what led her to this situation. No. No. No. No victim blaming. It doesn't matter if she walked around mostly naked like Miley Cyrus, or slept with a million men, no one deserves to be raped, abused or made to feel worthless. I feel horrible for Kesha, and I wonder what kind of music she would make if she were not being hindered by a toxic relationship with her producer. Whatever kind of music she makes after escaping the clutches of this man, I still might not like or approve of it. But my taste in music notwithstanding, she deserves a chance to be unhindered by an abusive producer.

You can read more details about the lawsuit on Rolling Stone.