#FreeKesha

Kesha has been largely out of the spotlight until about three weeks ago. I wish I could announce that she’s dropping a new album, but the real reason for reappearing in the news is much darker.

Her career has been at a standstill since 2014; in January she checked into rehab for an eating disorder, and in October filed a claim against her producer, Dr. Luke, for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, psychological and emotional abuse, and gender violence. She claims that he raped her twice: the first time giving her a “sober pill”, which she later claimed to be the date rape drug GHB, shortly after signing with Sony at age 18; and the second time on a plane. He threatened to ruin her career by taking away her publishing and recording rights if she were to mention the incidents to anyone.

Kesha is now 29 years old; she only came forward two years ago.

Dr. Luke’s alleged abuse does not end there. Kesha blames him for her eating disorder and negative self-image, depression, and post-traumatic stress, claiming he called her “a fat f***ing refrigerator” and once told her “You are not that pretty, you are not that talented, you are just lucky to have me.” He coerced her into a publishing deal with his label, Sony-owned Kemosabe Records, and restricted her music to dance pop when she was interested in a rock and roll approach. His strong hold over her included threats, psychological abuse, and dictating her career path.

Dr. Luke countered Kesha’s assault suit with a defamation claim against Kesha and her mother, Pebe Sebert, claiming they invented these “false and shocking accusations” so Kesha could work her way out of a recording deal, and also citing part of a 2011 deposition in which Kesha swore under oath that “Dr. Luke never made sexual advances at me”. On this countersuit, Kesha’s lawyer Mark Geragos’s commented, “Luke’s latest legal maneuver comes as no surprise; it’s a desperate Hail Mary and a pathetic attempt to once again blame his victim. He threatened to destroy Kesha’s life and the lives of her family if she didn’t cover up his sexual assaults in a 2011 deposition; Luke is now following through on his threats.” The courts dismissed this suit on February 3 because of jurisdictional issues.

Dr. Luke has been playing the victim, telling his side of the story on Twitter in recent weeks following months of silence. On February 22, he tweeted, “I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her. Kesha and I were friends for many years and she was like my little sister.”

Three days beforehand, Kesha was dealt a crushing defeat.

Kesha filed an injunction request in February 2015 to have her Sony contract altered or ended immediately because her career would suffer if put on hold until the legal battle was settled, which she amended in June 2015 to accuse Sony of awareness of abuse of multiple artists, including herself. “This whole she’s been put on ice for two years is solely of her own choosing”, says Dr. Luke’s lawyer, and yes legally this is the case. However, as she said in her February 24th Facebook post, “All I ever wanted was to be able to make music without being afraid, scared, or abused. This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract – it was never about getting a bigger, or a better deal. This is about being free from my abuser.” She clearly does not feel safe continuing to work with Dr. Luke, and as such has frozen her career.

On February 19, accompanied by her mother and two fans, Kesha starts sobbing in the courtroom when the verdict denying her injunction was announced, holding her to six more albums. It was a heartbreaking scene. As she left the courthouse, dozens of fans were gathered in support.

Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Shirley Kornreich said her “instinct is to do the commercially reasonable thing” and they should not have to go the extra step to grant an injunction as “there has been no showing of irreparable harm”, citing a lack of medical evidence such as hospital records. Besides, Kesha “is being given an opportunity to record.” The judge also argued that granting the request would undermine contract laws in the state, which is unacceptable.

Sony also countered Kesha’s request by saying that other artists such as Adele, Justin Timberlake, and D’Angelo have returned to a successful career following a long gap. They also said that “she does not need to have any interface at all with Dr. Luke”, but her lawyer Mark Geragos calls this promise “elusive” and says that Sony is setting her up to fail. A Sony lawyer has said “Our interest is in her success. Our interest is in Dr. Luke’s success. They are not the least bit mutually exclusive.” However, as Dr. Luke makes them more money they will clearly try to protect him and will be less likely to promote Kesha’s music.

Support has been pouring in from fellow pop stars and fans alike. In her acceptance speech at the 2016 Brit Awards on February 24, Adele, who is signed to another Sony-owned record label, said “I’d like to take a quick second just to thank my manager and my record label for embracing the fact that I’m a woman and being encouraged by it… And I would also like to take this moment to publicly support Kesha.” DJ Zedd offered his help, tweeting that he is “very very sorry to hear about the whole situation. I’ll be happy to produce a song for you if you want my help”. Other pop stars, including Lorde, Demi Lovato, and Kelly Clarkson have added their voices on Twitter, and Taylor Swift donated a quarter of a million to Kesha’s legal fund.

Lady Gaga has been a strong advocate for sexual assault victims, being one herself. Her Academy Award performance of nominated song “Til It Happens to You” was beautiful: she began solo on the piano, and was joined on stage partway through by fifty other survivors who had “Unbreakable”, “Survivor”, and “It happened to me” written on their forearms. It is so easy to forget that celebrities are people as well, and this powerful performance must have taken incredible courage.

On March 1, Lady Gaga Instagrammed a photo with her aunt and grandmother who were both previously unaware of the past she was dealing with, admitting in the caption to having been ashamed and afraid to admit what had happened. Part of her caption reads “it took me a long time to even admit it to myself because I’m Catholic and I knew it was evil but I thought it was my fault. I thought it was my fault for ten years. The morning after the Oscars when I talked to my grandmother Ronnie, with tears in her eyes I could hear them welling through the phone she said to me ‘My darling granddaughter, I’ve never been more proud of you than I am today.’” Lady Gaga has taken to social media in full force, using the hashtags #FreeEveryWoman, #FreeEveryMan, and #FreeKesha. One photo reads “This is not a bedroom. This is my office”, captioned “Join us and raise your voice to make change. Protect every woman and man from sexual violence in the workplace and beyond.”

Kesha thanked Lady Gaga on Instagram for “bringing attention to sexual assault at the Oscars. It hit very close to my heart for obvious reasons.”

The “Til It Happens to You” music video and Oscar performance are both very powerful, albeit disturbing, if you want to check them out.

In an equally moving Facebook post, Kesha has said that “at this point, this issue is bigger than just about me. I think about young girls today—I don’t want my future daughter—or your daughter—or any person to be afraid that they will be punished if they speak out about being abused, especially if their abuser is in a position of power.”

This is a message to any reader who can identify with these strong women: there will always be people to stand behind you. Remember the bravery of these artists who are coming forward to try to pave the way for other survivors. Kesha concludes: “We’re all in this together. You are not alone. I love you and thank you.”