Kesha’s battle against Dr. Luke
Kesha wants to leave her contract and sue her record so that she won't have to work with her former producer who violated and abused her. Although the judge denied her request, her fans and other celebrities continue to support Kesha. Photo attribution to Jeffrey Putman.
by Ifra Mahmood, staff reporter
Every celebrity goes through obstacles during their success, and Kesha is one of the many celebrities, who has been stuck in this situation for years. After years of not releasing music, Kesha publicly said that her producer, Dr. Luke, had raped and abused her.
“I believe that it’s wrong because Sony is violating her personal rights and they need to free Kesha from the abuse she has been going through,” senior Nick Cassarino said.
In 2010, Kesha was widely known because of her songs, such as “Tik Tok” and “Your Love Is My Drug”, but now she is known for being stuck in a contract with Sony and Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald. The singer sued her record label, Kemosabe Records, which is part of Sony, so she could avoid working with her former producer. On February 19th, a judge denied her request.
Pictures of Kesha sobbing while walking out of the courtroom surfaced on the internet, causing people to start petitions. Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to help Kesha with any financial needs. Other celebrities such as, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Zedd, and Miley Cyrus publicly supported Kesha and tweeted about the situation.
“I think that she should be able to leave her contract no matter what case it is. Zayn Malik from One Direction was able to leave his [company] because he was upset, but Kesha was sexually abused, so exceptions should be made,” senior Gillian Paolotti said.
Some accusations include situations, where Dr. Luke forced Kesha to “snort an illicit drug” and raped her while she was intoxicated and drugged. He also forced Kesha to drink with him, and then gave her what he called, “sober pills.” Kesha claimed that she woke up the next day, sore and naked in Luke’s bed, with no recollection of how she got there. Dr. Luke allegedly told Kesha, “that if she ever mentioned the rape to anyone, he would shut her career down and otherwise destroy not only her life, but her entire family’s lives as well.”
Kesha’s battle is still going on. She is allowed to record without Luke. Her fans are continuing to support her during this battle by protesting and spreading awareness.