Kylie Hanson Hanson 1

Mrs. Burr, Instructor

English 2010, Section 5

12 March 2018

Kesha and Dr. Luke: From Hopeful to Hurtful

Music has played a prominent role in Kesha Sebert’s entire life. Because of her

mother Pebe’s job as a songwriter, Kesha has been surrounded by music from the time

she entered this world in 1987. When Kesha was young, her mother struggled to

support both her and her older brother, Louie. Pebe landed a songwriting contract in

Nashville, and moved there with her kids when Kesha was four years old. Her mother’s

job in the music industry allowed Kesha to spent much of her childhood in recording

studios, where she often worked on some of her mother’s song demos. Allowing Kesha

to pursue her interest in music, her mother enrolled her in a music school, where she

was taught about singing and songwriting.

In 2005, when Kesha was seventeen years old, she dropped out of high school

to chase the music career that she had been interested in since she was a child. In

September of that year, Luke Gottwald, more casually known as Dr. Luke, heard

Kesha’s demos and persuaded her to move from Nashville to Los Angeles. Soon after

her move, Kesha signed a six-album deal with Dr. Luke. Little did Kesha know, this deal

would bring her torment and misery later in her life.

Soon after signing with Dr. Luke, Kesha noticed that her new producer seemed

preoccupied with other, higher profile artists. Kesha felt like she didn’t belong in Los
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Angeles, and that she was not receiving any respect. In 2009, however, Kesha’s first hit

came when she performed as a featured artist on “Right Round,” which was sung by Flo

Rida and produced by Dr. Luke. Although Kesha was not paid or credited for the song,

she was happy to have received her big break. Soon after this feature, Kesha released

her first single, “Tik Tok,” which soon became the most downloaded song in America

and reached the top of the Billboard music charts in 2010. Kesha’s first album, ​Animal​,

also topped the charts in January of 2010. Kesha’s next album, ​Warrior, ​was released in

2012 and was, surprisingly, described as “strained” on a ​New Yorker​ profile of Dr. Luke.

After the release of this album, Kesha dropped subtle hints that she did not have as

much creative control over her music as she would like, and that she was forced to sing

lyrics that she did not agree with. At this point, Kesha’s career seemed to be going

downhill.

On October 14, 2014, Kesha shockingly filed a lawsuit that claimed sexual

assault and battery against Dr. Luke. In her lawsuit, Kesha simply requested to be

released from the contract that bound her to Dr. Luke and his label. According to

Kesha’s lawsuit, “Dr. Luke sexually, physically, and verbally abused [Kesha] for a

decade in order to make her feel completely worthless and maintain complete control

over her life.” The lawsuit recounted a number of instances where Dr. Luke allegedly

abused Kesha in a variety of ways. Kesha also claims that in October of 2005, while her

and Dr. Luke were at Nicky Hilton’s birthday party in Los Angeles, Dr. Luke gave Kesha

a date-rape drug. Kesha’s mother, Pebe, explained that she received a phone call from

her daughter the next day, which included Kesha describing what she believed had
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happened the night before. Pebe remembers Kesha saying, “Mom, I don’t know where I

am. I think we had sex. I’m sore and sick. I don’t know where my clothes are. I think I

need to go to the hospital.” After Kesha released the information of her alleged rape, Dr.

Luke denied the accusations, tweeting, “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.”

Kesha revealed that she felt that she had to stay quiet about her rapist because Dr.

Luke “repeatedly threatened that if she ever told anyone about these incidents, he

would shut her career down, take away all her publishing and record rights, and

otherwise destroy not only her life but her entire family’s lives as well.” Due to Dr. Luke’s

large amount of power and money, Kesha completely believed that he would follow

through on his threats if she told anyone about her rape. This is why, Kesha says, it

took her nine years to open up about her rapist and abuser, who should have been a

close friend and mentor.

For the past three and a half years, Kesha has struggled with her legal battle

against Dr. Luke. Throughout this fight, Kesha has wrestled with severe depression,

post-traumatic stress, social isolation, and panic attacks. Although Kesha has not yet

legally been allowed to leave Dr. Luke’s label, she has received support from countless

fans, family, and fellow celebrities. Kesha will continue to fight until she is able to get

herself away from the clutches of the man who caused her endless pain and suffering.
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Works Cited

Images, Getty. “The Complete History of Keshas Fight Against Dr. Luke.” ​Vulture​, 11

Aug. 2017, ​www.vulture.com/2017/08/timeline-keshas-legal-fight-against-dr-luke.html​.

Johnston, Maura. “Kesha, Dr. Luke: The Case Explained.” ​Rolling Stone​, Rolling Stone,

22 Feb. 2016, ​www.rollingstone.com/music/features/kesha-and-dr-luke-everything-you-need-to-

Know-to-understand-the-case-20160222

“Kesha.” ​Biography.com​, A&E Networks Television, 30 May 2017

www.biography.com/people/kesha-562676.

“Kesha Complaint.” ​Scribd​, Scribd, ​www.scribd.com/document/242986445/kesha-

complaint