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This article is about the singer. For the town in China, see Kesha, Hunan.

Kesha

Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987),[3] better known by the mononym Kesha (/ˈkɛʃə/ KESH-ə, stylized Ke$ha), is an American pop singer, rapper and songwriter. Her debut single, "Tik Tok", released in late 2009, reached number one in eleven countries and set the weekly records for digital downloads of a female artist and total Mainstream Top 40 airplay in the US.[4][5] By reaching the top in 2010, the song also became the first Billboard Hot 100 number one of the decade[6] and the longest running number one debut single by a female artist since 1977.[7]

At age 18, Kesha was signed to Dr. Luke's record label and publishing company.[8] Although an active musician since 2005, singing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, her breakthrough only came in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round." Before being brought to RCA Records, Kesha had amassed an extensive social media following that was factored in for the promotion of her debut single and album.[9] Her debut album, Animal, was released in January 2010 and debuted at number one in the US. By March, Kesha had sold a million albums and eight million singles worldwide.[9]

Life and career

Childhood and youth

Kesha was born in Los Angeles, California, to Pebe Sebert, a singer and songwriter.[10] Pebe, a single mother, struggled financially while supporting Kesha and her older brother, Lagan, at the time. They had to rely on welfare payments and food stamps to get by.[1] When Kesha was an infant, Pebe would often have to look after her onstage while performing.[11] Kesha grew up without her father and does not know who he is.[1] Pebe moved the family to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1991, after securing a publishing deal.[10] She frequently brought Kesha and her brothers, Lagan and Louis, along to recording studios and encouraged Kesha to sing.[1][10]

Kesha was already working on her music in 2005, when the Seberts were featured in an episode of The Simple Life, as the host family for Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.[12][13] Pebe had taught Kesha how to write songs and they would often write together when she returned home from high school.[1][14] Kesha described herself in an interview as being "very studious" in high school; she would drive to Belmont University to listen in on Cold War history classes after school and achieved "near perfect" SAT scores.[14] However, she dropped out at age seventeen and earned her GED afterward.[15] She left school after being convinced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin to return to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. They had received Kesha's demo after Pebe passed it to Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at BMI, and were impressed.[8]

Career beginnings: 2005–08

At age eighteen, Kesha was signed to Luke's label, Kemosabe Entertainment, and music publishing company, Prescription Songs.[8] Six months after hosting Paris Hilton at her house, Luke gave Kesha the opportunity to sing background vocals for Hilton's single, "Nothing in This World".[12][16][17] In 2006, Kesha signed with David Sonenberg's management company, DAS Communications Inc., hardly interacting with Luke after that. DAS was tasked with obtaining a major label record deal for her in a year’s time with her having the option of ending the relationship if they failed.[18] She worked with several top writers and producers while at the company and credits the creation of her beat-driven sound to a co-writing session with Greg Wells.[8] She also co-wrote The Veronicas' single, "This Love" with Toby Gad.[19]

While her songs were used on Degrassi: The Next Generation,The Hills, Teen Cribs and My Super Sweet 16,[10][20][21][22] Kesha moonlighted as a waitress and a telemarketer to make ends meet.[23] Two years after arriving in Los Angeles, she decided that she wanted Prince to produce her music and located his home. After she trespassed and was discovered, she was thrown out of his home, but not before she left her demo with him.[1] She would remark afterwards that, "I felt it was harmless at the time, but looking back it was pretty psychotic."[24] She sang background vocals for Britney Spears' song "Lace and Leather" and appeared in the video for Katy Perry's single, "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008.[2] The chance to appear in the video arose due to her friendship with Perry; they met frequently as aspiring pop singers in Los Angeles and shared many musical collaborators.[25]

In 2008, DAS attracted the attention of Kara Dioguardi, who wanted to sign her to Warner. The deal fell through due to conflicts with Kesha's existing contract with Dr. Luke's label. She terminated her contract with DAS in September and reunited with Luke.[8][18]

Breakthrough: 2009

Kesha gained exposure in the mainstream media in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round."[26] The collaboration was called "an accident" by Kesha; she had walked into a recording session with Flo Rida and Luke.[27] Flo Rida wanted a female voice for the song; Luke then suggested Kesha for the part. Flo Rida liked the end result so much that they did two more songs.[3] However, Kesha is not credited for her feature on the US release of "Right Round" and did not collect any money for the part.[8][26] She also refused to appear in the video; she explained in an interview that, "if you want to be a legitimate artist, it’s more important what you say no to. I knew he would want me to be some sexpot, shake my booty, and whatever."[28] Kesha continued to live on a meager income, which inspired the dollar sign in her stage name. She states that it was meant to be ironic, in that she "actually [stood] for the opposite of putting a lot of emphasis on money."[12]

Soon after, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA through Luke's imprint, after being sought after by Lava Records and Flo Rida's record label, Atlantic Records as well.[8] RCA had noticed her strong following on social media when negotiating her contract and thus relied on viral marketing to build a following for her debut single, "Tik Tok", offering the song as a free stream on MySpace in July. The song was released digitally in the US in August and sent to radio two months later.[9] She made her official stage debut at Lollapalooza and graced the cover of Women's Wear Daily in the same month as the single's release.[29] By then, Kesha had also co-written the title song for Miley Cyrus' The Time of Our Lives EP and made an appearance on Pitbull's album.[30][31]

"Tik Tok" topped the charts in eleven countries and was the first number one of the decade on the Billboard Hot 100.[6] Spending nine weeks at number one, "Tik Tok" became the longest running number one debut single by a female artist on the Hot 100 since Debby Boone's 1977 single "You Light Up My Life".[7] In its second week at number one on the chart, the song set the weekly record for the most digital downloads of a female artist and became the second best-selling single in a week, after "Right Round", by shifting 610,000 copies.[4] At its fifth week at the top, it broke the record for the highest weekly total Top 40 Mainstream airplay record.[5]

Commercial success: 2010–present

Kesha in June 2010.

Kesha's debut album, Animal, was released in January to mixed reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone summed the album up as "repulsive, obnoxious and ridiculously catchy."[14] It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 152,000 copies with 76% of sales coming from digital outlets, the largest weekly digital percentage share for an album at number one.[32] Album track, "Blah Blah Blah" debuted in the top ten in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the same week as the album due to strong digital sales.[33] By March, Animal had sold a million copies worldwide with half of the sales coming from digital downloads. Its singles had racked up eight million downloads as well.[9] As of June, the album has reached close to 800,000 copies in sales in the US alone.[34]

In May, "Tik Tok" was featured in the opening sequence for The Simpsons episode "To Surveil With Love" where the entire cast lip-synced to the song,[35] making it the first time that the series had forgone its traditional opening theme for another song since its creation.[34] Kesha was also featured on two top ten singles by Taio Cruz and 3OH!3 in that same month.[17] Both opportunities came through recommendations by Dr. Luke.[36][37] Later that month, Kesha's former managers from DAS filed a lawsuit, seeking $14 million in damages from Kesha and $12 million from Luke for commissions on her subsequent RCA Records deal, alleging that she squeezed them out of her career under pressure from Luke.[18] Kesha was named brand ambassador for Casio in August and will design two watches for the Baby-G women's line.[38] She was also a supporting act along with Travie McCoy on the summer North American leg of Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour.[39] Spin called her "fantastically obnoxious" in her opening set in Vancouver, Canada.[40]

Philanthropy

Kesha held a benefit concert on June 16, 2010 where all proceeds went to aid victims of the May 2010 Tennessee floods from her hometown Nashville.[41] She raised close to $70,000 from the event.[42] She also donated 1,000 pounds of dog food to a local animal shelter for pets abandoned in the flood.[43] She explained the motivation behind the benefit "Nashville helped shape me as an artist and as a person and my love for this city is beyond words. I will continue to do anything I can to help rebuild this city and support the families and animals who have been affected by this tragedy."[41]

On June 21, 2010 Kesha was one of the celebrities answering calls at a telethon organized by Larry King and CNN to help those impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Their efforts brought in more than $1.81 million for three charities.[44]

Image and artistry

Kesha has been noted for her party girl image and behavior,[45] while both she and her music have been dismissed early on as lightweight, calculating and crude. She insisted otherwise in an interview, "I have been working on realizing this dream, my path, my mission, for years. I’ve really invested a lot of thought, time and effort into it. The last thing that makes me is a victim [of celebrity culture]. I think it’s a bummer when people don’t represent that properly, when they portray me as purely one-dimensional."[46] She would later openly admit in interviews that much of her image was a joke, that she was being ironic, and that it was "a bit of being an idiot for the sake of having fun with it."[47]

Kesha's styling comprises messy hair, smudged makeup and a wardrobe she describes as "garbage-chic". The look developed from her being poor and trying to brand herself as best she could on a budget.[48] She has named Keith Richards as her fashion inspiration.[12] The Guardian called her "the degenerate Hannah Montana" and stated that "her whole shtick appears to be predicated on the idea that she's a rebel in American Apparel."[31] Her stage makeup is characterized by dramatic makeup at her right eye, inspired by A Clockwork Orange,[49] and body glitter.[50] Kesha came in at number fifty-six on Maxim's 2010 Hot 100 "definitive list of the world’s most beautiful women".[51]

Themes and genre

Kesha has cited Beck, Queen, Madonna, Johnny Cash, Aaron Neville, Bob Dylan, Beastie Boys, The Damned, Velvet Underground, Talking Heads and Blondie as musical influences.[16][30][45][47][52] She has also highlighted Dylan's Nashville Skyline as her favorite album and called her debut album, Animal, an homage to the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill.[16] She has writing credits on every song on the album and defended her decision to make pop music in an interview, explaining that, "[p]eople get so pretentious about pop music so I do feel like I'm fighting this battle. My record is honest and fun. It's a celebration of youth and life and going out and getting crazy. I'm about non-pretentious irreverence and fuck off good fun!"[53][54]

Kesha credits the album as having a rock edge, with straightforward lyrics based on her life experiences and influenced by the storytelling style of country music.[10][23][25] She has urged critics not to take her lyrics seriously; such as in "Tik Tok", where she has been criticized for referencing brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey. She explained that, "Everyone's really offended by that. But come on, brushing your teeth with Jack Daniel's: what girl does that? People are like, 'Do you really advocate brushing your teeth with bourbon?' I'm like, 'Yes, actually, I do, every day, for everybody. Especially eight year olds.' I mean, what are you talking about? Of course I don't. Come on."[46] She has also expressed frustration at the double standard for the objectification of women in music. Thus, in songs such as "Blah Blah Blah" and "Boots and Boys", she makes it a point to sing the same way men traditionally sing about women.[1][49]

Animal is of the dance-pop genre; it incorporates elements of electropop in its production. It ranges from high energy pop dance songs, to electronic ballads, to songs with guitar riffs.[53] When it came to her ballads, Kesha stated that they "[would] still have that four-on-the-floor to keep the heads moving." She also regards the need for her live shows to be "rowdy and really fun, and hopefully dance-inducing."[25]

Vocal style

"Tik Tok" (2009)
Kesha's debut single and one of many songs in which she raps and uses Auto-Tune on her voice.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Kesha uses a sing-song rapping style on a number of her songs, which she admitted had begun as a joke,[8] most notably on her debut single "Tik Tok". The New York Times stated that the song represented "the complete and painless assimilation of the white female rapper into pop music."[28] The Los Angeles Times compared this vocal style to that of L'Trimm and Salt-N-Pepa.[55] Kesha has been criticized for using Auto-Tune and vocoders to distort her vocals on her album Animal.[56] Billboard stated that the heavily processed vocals "[made] it hard to tell whether [Kesha could] actually sing."[57]

Discography

Main article: Kesha discography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Day, Elizabeth (November 29, 2009). "She's a walking, talking living dollar". The Guardian. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Sullivan, Matt (August 13, 2009). "KE$HA and the Not-Quite-72 Virgins in Her Own Personal Heaven". Esquire. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  3. ^ a b Mazzella, Alysia (March 2, 2009). "Ke$ha: Crazy, Sexy & Too Fuckin' Cool". 21–7 Magazine. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Pietroluongo, Silvio (December 30, 2009). "Ke$ha Sets Female Download Record". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 31, 2009.
  5. ^ a b Trust, Gary (January 25, 2010). "'TiK' Talk: Ke$ha Breaks Pop Songs Record". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Trust, Gary (December 24, 2009). "Chart Beat Thursday: Ke$ha". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved December 25, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Pietroluongo, Silvio (February 11, 2010). "Ke$ha Holds Atop Hot 100, Pink Glows with 'Glitter'". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Werde, Bill (February 19, 2010). "Ke$ha: The Billboard Cover Story". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d Edgecliffe-Johnson, Andrew (March 24, 2010). "How to create a chart-topper". Financial Times. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Official biography". RCA Records. Retrieved January 10, 2009.
  11. ^ Axelrod, Nick (August 26, 2009). "Kesha Sebert: Hard Candy". Women's Wear Daily. Fairchild Fashion Group. Retrieved October 20, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d Lynch, Joseph (December 11, 2009). "Ke$ha: A Music Mix Q&A". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  13. ^ "Wedding Planner". The Simple Life. Season 3. Episode 15. May 12, 2005. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ a b c "$uper$tar Ke$ha Top$ Chart$". NPR. January 16, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
  15. ^ Barnett, Sophie (March 24, 2010). "MTV Fashion File: Ke$ha". MTV Networks. Retrieved April 9, 2010. I quit high school at 17 and got my GED which was kinda stupid but I've been working ever since and I'm 23, so for six years.
  16. ^ a b c Diehl, Matt. "Ke$ha". Interview. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  17. ^ a b Fekadu, Mesfin (June 30, 2010). "Ke$ha wants to be more than pop's party girl". The Associated Press. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  18. ^ a b c Peltz, Jennifer (May 28, 2010). "Pop star Ke$ha sued by former managers in NYC". The Associated Press. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  19. ^ "This Love". BMI. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  20. ^ "Degrassi Season Six: Music Credits". Epitome Virtual Reality Inc. Retrieved July 1, 2010. Episode 603 – "True Colours"
  21. ^ "Teen Cribs-Bg Cues". BMI. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  22. ^ "My Super Sweet 16-Bg Cues". BMI. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
  23. ^ a b Malone, Aibhe (January 8, 2010). "All that glitter$". Independent.ie. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  24. ^ Barracato, Joseph (February 6, 2010). "Ke$ha tale". NYP Holdings. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  25. ^ a b c "WAPS interviews Ke$ha". We Are Pop Slags. October 28, 2009. Retrieved October 29, 2009. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  26. ^ a b Gordon, Sandra (November 25, 2009). "Breaking & Entering: Ke$ha". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  27. ^ Levine, Nicke (November 13, 2009). "Interview – Ke$ha". Digital Spy Limited. Retrieved November 13, 2009. I was surprised because me being on that record was kind of an accident. I walked into the studio, he was there, we were hanging out, I recorded it and he liked it.
  28. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (December 23, 2009). "Changing the Face (and Sound) of Rap". The New York Times. Retrieved December 26, 2009.
  29. ^ "Red-Hot Pop Sensation Ke$ha to Release Debut Album" (Press release). RCA Music Group. December 3, 2009. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  30. ^ a b Stransky, Tanner (January 22, 2010). "Ke$ha Gets the Party Started". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  31. ^ a b Lester, Paul (October 2, 2009). "Ke$ha (No 640)". Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  32. ^ Caulfield, Keith (January 23, 2010). "Kesha ends Boyle's 'Dream' with No 1. debut at Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved January 23, 2010.
  33. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio (January 13, 2010). "Ke$ha Holds On Hot 100; Doubles Down On Digital Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved June 21, 2010.
  34. ^ a b Spaner, Whitney (June 15, 2010). "Pop Smart". Paper Publishing Company. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  35. ^ "To Surveil With Love". The Simpsons. Season 21. Episode 20. May 2, 2010. Fox. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ Bhansali, Akshay (March 23, 2010). "Ke$ha's Singing Is 'Awesome,' Taio Cruz Says". MTV Networks. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  37. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (April 2, 2010). "3OH!3 Prepare Fans For Another Ke$ha Collaboration". MTV Networks. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  38. ^ "Ke$ha Becoms Newest Watch Designer and Brand Ambassador for Casio Baby-G Watches" (Press release). Casio America, Inc. August 2, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  39. ^ Concepcion, Mariel (April 6, 2010). "Rihanna Announces Tour With Nicki Minaj, Ke$ha". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  40. ^ Usinger, Mike (July 6, 2010). "Rihanna and Ke$ha Kick-Off Wild Summer Tour!". Spin. Spin Media LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2010. Ke$ha held down the middle slot of the night, proving herself fantastically obnoxious, which isn't meant as a putdown. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  41. ^ a b "Ke$ha Announces Nashville Flood Benefit Concert". Sony Music Entertainment. June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  42. ^ Castillo, Michelle (August 12, 2010). "Ke$ha — from band geek to life of the party". msnbc.com. Retrieved August 13, 2010. She participated in the Gulf telethon in late June as well, a few weeks after headlining a show to help with Tennessee flood relief, raising almost $70,000.
  43. ^ King, Caitlin (May 10, 2010). "Music City to rebuild on shoulders of its stars". The Associated Press. Retrieved July 1, 2010. After her mom picked her up, she heard on the radio about the number of animals in need of help, so they went straight to buy 1,000 pounds of dog and cat food and delivered it to a local animal shelter.
  44. ^ Duke, Alan (June 22, 2010). "Donations flow as celebs join Larry King's Gulf telethon". CNN. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  45. ^ a b Hess, Mike (January 11, 2010). "Ke$ha Can Handle Her Liquor and Success". PopEater. AOL Inc. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  46. ^ a b Cairns, Dan (March 7, 2010). "Ke$ha demands a pinch of respect and mirth". Times Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  47. ^ a b Parsi, Novid. "Interview". Time Out Chicago. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  48. ^ Piazza, Jo (February 7, 2010). "Ke$ha's Look: Garbage Chic or Just Plain Trash?". PopEater. AOL Inc. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
  49. ^ a b Stevenson, Jane. "Pop sensation Ke$ha gutsy, fearless". QMI Agency. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  50. ^ "Meet "Tik Tok" Singer Ke$ha". Seventeen. Hearst Communications, Inc. January 11, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  51. ^ "2010 Hot 100". Maxim. Alpha Media Group Inc. Retrieved June 23, 2010.
  52. ^ Kazemi, Alex (May 26, 2010). "Interview: Ke$ha". Alex Kazemi. Retrieved July 1, 2009.
  53. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Animal Review". allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 24, 2010.
  54. ^ French, Dan (March 1, 2010). "Ke$ha - Interview". Digital Spy Limited. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  55. ^ Powers, Ann (January 5, 2010). "Ke$ha is a wisecracking 'Animal'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 6, 2010. Her deceptively yelpy vocal bounce recalls the Moon Unit Zappa of "Valley Girl" and legendary rap princesses like L'Trimm and Salt-N-Pepa.
  56. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (January 8, 2010). "Ke$ha Animal". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  57. ^ Herrera, Monica (January 5, 2010). "Ke$ha, "Animal"". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
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