Latest news with #Ke$ha
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Kesha review – a triumphant and electric return for pop's comeback kid
'What does freedom feel like?' the singer Kesha asks in voiceover early in her sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. The 38-year-old pop star has just opened her 'Tits Out' show with TiK ToK, the sleazy, insouciant, inescapable party anthem that rocketed her to fame in 2009, cradling a model of her own head from that time – blond, dead-eyed, distinguishable as the artist formerly known as Ke$ha by one single glitter tear. She paraded the head while gamely barreling through that first indelible, now altered, lyric – 'wake up in the morning like FUCK P Diddy' – and the IDGAF brag of brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack (Daniels). Then she places it on an altar of empty glasses and candles and bows to a prayer of 'freedom from my past', how the 'truth will set you free'. If this all seems like a lot, somehow both cartoonishly blunt and muddled, hedonism strangely crossed with sanctity – well, that's Kesha, a millennial-beloved artist always on the messy bleeding edge of culture, for better and for worse. Once the 22-year-old from Nashville who rolled in on her gold Trans-Am and glittered-bombed the early 2010s with a ridiculous string of feral, slangy hits, then a cautionary tale stalled by a nearly decade-long legal dispute with her former producer, the artist born Kesha Rose Sebert has finally stepped into her role as a generational symbol on her own terms, much to the delight of a loyal crowd at the Garden, who hollered at every mention of the word freedom – and there were many – like it was a revelation. And it was – for years, Kesha represented not only the bombast, disillusionment and debauchery of youth fucked over by the 2008 financial crash, with attitude so fierce and undeniable it could make diabolical lyrics such as 'don't be a little bitch with your chit chat / just show me where your dick's at' winsome, but also the dark side of the predacious music industry. In 2014, she sued to be released from her contract with producer Łukasz 'Dr Luke' Gottwald, who convinced her to move to Los Angeles at 17, for alleged drugging, sexual assault and emotional manipulation; a protracted legal battle forced her to continue working for him, her music still released under his imprint if not with his input, until last year. . (pronounced Period), her album released this month, is her first output truly independent of Dr Luke. So you can't begrudge Kesha some pointed and grandiose words on liberation, nor for remixing the production of some of her most recognizable hits – Blow, Die Young, Timber – into something a little smoother, more mature, more her. 'I've had these songs taken from me and I want you to help me take them back tonight,' she proclaims during Act I of four murkily defined sections, before she laps the floor to a medley of tracks from Animal and Warrior in a shocking reminder of just how deep her cuts go. The choreography may be pop standard (sharp and suggestive but cold-blooded), the backing track sustaining the more vigorous dance numbers, the more conceptual moments (a straitjacket, dancers in kitty-cat mascot suits) a little too belabored, but it doesn't matter. As a statement of legacy – her Auto-tuned recklessness a clear antecedent of today's Brat-green pop landscape – and as an act of reclamation, the Tits Out tour is a triumph. It's also extremely fun, Kesha's grip on the pulse of a hot banger as tight as her stage banter is loose and breezy. As with her recession pop peer Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball, the new dance tracks flow seamlessly with the old. Red Flag, a punchy ode to being magnetized for all the wrong reasons, bends smoothly into the cheerleader taunt of Dinosaur. ('D-I-N-O-S-A, U-R a dinosaur!' remains one of Kesha's most deranged and stupidly catchy lyrics). Period's Delusional morphs so easily into the girl-on-girl punches of Backstabber that I thought it was one song. New track Attention! finds Kesha in the pocket of the mode she pioneered – taunting, headstrong, teetering on obnoxious – straight into a sick repetition of 'I'm a bitch!' with a 2010s bass so sticky it basically spells out LMFAO. No one could be still. Except, briefly, Kesha herself, when she paused on multiple occasions to celebrate her freedom with kiss-offs ('hey, look how much money you made off of me!') that would feel overdone if they weren't so hard-earned. At one point, when she mentioned being in 'year eight of litigation' ahead of the self-love track The One., I gasped – her onstage persona is so buoyant, it's easy to forget just how long she endured. She drove the point into the stratosphere with a victorious encore; a note-perfect performance of Praying, her typically on-the-nose #MeToo ballad fantasizing a perpetrator's recognition, her voice honeyed and soaring, led to a five-plus-minute standing ovation. She let her tears flow; I shed a tear too, for a moment more raw than anything I've seen at a pop show in recent memory. 'This love is not only for me, it's for anyone who survived something they never should've had to survive,' she said. And then it's back to business, with early tracks Your Love Is My Drug and We R Who We R, and one final, perfect, very Kesha farewell: 'Have a good night!' she said with that cheeky giggle. 'And I hope … you all … get laid.'
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Kesha review – a triumphant and electric return for pop's comeback kid
'What does freedom feel like?' the singer Kesha asks in voiceover early in her sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. The 38-year-old pop star has just opened her 'Tits Out' show with TiK ToK, the sleazy, insouciant, inescapable party anthem that rocketed her to fame in 2009, cradling a model of her own head from that time – blond, dead-eyed, distinguishable as the artist formerly known as Ke$ha by one single glitter tear. She paraded the head while gamely barreling through that first indelible, now altered, lyric – 'wake up in the morning like FUCK P Diddy' – and the IDGAF brag of brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack (Daniels). Then she places it on an altar of empty glasses and candles and bows to a prayer of 'freedom from my past', how the 'truth will set you free'. If this all seems like a lot, somehow both cartoonishly blunt and muddled, hedonism strangely crossed with sanctity – well, that's Kesha, a millennial-beloved artist always on the bleeding edge of culture, for better and for worse. Once the 22-year-old from Nashville who rolled in on her gold Trans-Am and glittered-bombed the early 2010s with a ridiculous string of feral, slangy hits, then a cautionary tale stalled by a nearly decade-long legal dispute with her former producer, the artist born Kesha Rose Sebert has finally stepped into her role as a generational symbol on her own terms, much to the delight of a loyal crowd at the Garden, who hollered at every mention of the word freedom – and there were many – like it was a revelation. And it was – for years, Kesha represented not only the bombast, disillusionment and debauchery of youth fucked over by the 2008 financial crash, with attitude so fierce and undeniable it could make diabolical lyrics such as 'don't be a little bitch with your chit chat / just show me where your dick's at' winsome, but also the dark side of the predacious music industry. In 2014, she sued to be released from her contract with producer Łukasz 'Dr Luke' Gottwald, who convinced her to move to Los Angeles at 17, for alleged drugging, sexual assault and emotional manipulation; a protracted legal battle forced her to continue working for him, her music still released under his imprint if not with his input, until last year. . (pronounced Period), her album released this month, is her first output truly independent of Dr Luke. So you can't begrudge Kesha some pointed and grandiose words on liberation, nor for remixing the production of some of her most recognizable hits – Blow, Die Young, Timber – into something a little smoother, more mature, more her. 'I've had these songs taken from me and I want you to help me take them back tonight,' she proclaims during Act I of four murkily defined sections, before she laps the floor to a medley of tracks from Animal and Warrior in a shocking reminder of just how deep her cuts go. The choreography may be pop standard (sharp and suggestive but cold-blooded), the backing track sustaining the more vigorous dance numbers, the more conceptual moments (a straitjacket, dancers in kitty-cat mascot suits) a little too belabored, but it doesn't matter. As a statement of legacy – her auto-tuned recklessness a clear antecedent of today's Brat-green pop landscape – and as an act of reclamation, the Tits Out tour is a triumph. It's also extremely fun, Kesha's grip on the pulse of a hot banger as tight as her stage banter is loose and breezy. As with her recession pop peer Lady Gaga's Mayhem Ball, the new dance tracks flow seamlessly with the old. Red Flag, a punchy ode to being magnetized for all the wrong reasons, bends smoothly into the cheerleader taunt of Dinosaur. ('D-I-N-O-S-A, U-R a dinosaur!' remains one of Kesha's most deranged and stupidly catchy lyrics). Period's Delusional morphs so easily into the girl-on-girl punches of Backstabber that I thought it was one song. New track Attention! finds Kesha in the pocket of the mode she pioneered – taunting, headstrong, teetering on obnoxious – straight into a sick repetition of 'I'm a bitch!' with a 2010s bass so sticky it basically spells out LMFAO. No one could be still. Except, briefly, Kesha herself, when she paused on multiple occasions to celebrate her freedom with kiss-offs ('hey, look how much money you made off of me!') that would feel overdone if they weren't so hard-earned. At one point, when she mentioned being in 'year eight of litigation' ahead of the self-love track The One., I gasped – her onstage persona is so buoyant, it's easy to forget the slog. She drove the point into the stratosphere with a victorious encore; a note-perfect performance of Praying, her typically on-the-nose #MeToo ballad fantasizing a perpetrator's recognition, her voice honeyed and soaring, led to a five-plus-minute standing ovation. She let her tears flow; I shed a tear too, for a moment more raw than anything I've seen at a pop show in recent memory. 'This love is not only for me, it's for anyone who survived something they never should've had to survive,' she said. And then it's back to business, with early tracks Your Love Is My Drug and We R Who We R, and one final, perfect, very Kesha farewell: 'Have a good night!' she said with that cheeky giggle. 'And I hope … you all … get laid.'
Daily Mirror
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Katy Perry breaks down on stage as reps confirm her split from Orlando Bloom
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have called it quits on their nine-year romance - six years after the Pirates of The Caribbean actor popped the question. The representatives declared: "Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on coparenting. They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is - and always will be - raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect." Before the official announcement, an insider had informed the magazine of their amicable split, stating: "Katy and Orlando have split but are amicable. It's not contentious at the moment. Katy is of course upset but is relieved to not have to go through another divorce, as that was the worst time in her life." Hints of trouble had appeared on Orlando's Instagram stories on July 2, where he shared a poignant message from Carl Gustav Jung: "Loneliness does not come from having no people about one, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself." This came shortly after a June 30 post quoting Buddha: "Each day is a new beginning. What we do today is what matters most." The signs of a separation were evident in Orlando's posts before the official statement, and he turned up alone at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's nuptials. Tour duties kept Katy Perry from attending the glitzy event. Days before, the 40-year-old delivered an emotionally charged performance in Adelaide, Australia, on June 30. Katy Perry broke down as she wrapped up her set, fighting back tears and creating a heart sign with her hands to express her affection for the crowd. Grateful for their unwavering support, Katy told the audience: "Thank you for always being there for me, Australia. It means the world." After regaining her composure, Katy burst into her renowned hit 'Firework'. Katy and her beau Orlando Bloom's love story began in 2016, endured a brief hiatus after a year, before rekindling flames in 2018. The power couple got engaged in 2019 and embraced parenthood with the arrival of Daisy Dove in 2020. The split follows Katy's departure from American Idol after a seven-season stint, as she shifted focus to her upcoming tunes. Her latest album sparked controversy due to her decision to collaborate once more with Dr. Luke amidst the Ke$ha scandal. Adding to the tumult, Katy faced criticism for participating in a Blue Origin space mission, along with five other women, drawing ire from multiple quarters.
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Singer-songwriter Bonnie McKee talks shock Taylor Swift link and why writing with Katy Perry was 'difficult'
Even if you're not familiar with Bonnie McKee's name, you most certainly know her body of work - the famed songwriter was behind some of the most massive hits of the aughts, including Roar, California Gurls, and Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, Hold It Against Me by Britney Spears, and Dynamite by Taio Cruz. The Grammy-nominated artist is considered the 'founding mother of recession pop,' for her work with stars like Ke$ha, Cher, Christina Aguilera, and more. Bonnie stopped by the Daily Mail office while she was in town for the Tribeca Film Festival. Her music video for Hot City song Forever 21, which she directed, starred in, edited, produced, and cast, is an official selection this year. The Los Angeles based singer unexpectedly blew up on TikTok during the pandemic when she started talking about her songwriting process on the platform. She writes in 'an old school notebook' and kept 'relics from the past,' which she was able to share with fans. When she started a session, she would ask pop stars about their love life, who they were dating, and what kept them up at night. She'd then take notes as they were talking and found that usually had a track that she'd already started that would fit with the vibe. When it came to co-writing with artists like Kesha and Katy, Bonnie called it 'a truly collaborative effort.' As for writing with Katy on some of her most iconic songs, Bonnie admitted it was 'sometimes very difficult' because 'we have a really high standard, and we wanted to make the best pop music ever,' admitting, 'on some of them, I feel like we did.' Kesha had a 'clear aesthetic' which made it 'very easy to write with her because she comes in with great ideas.' Bonnie originally made her album Hot City a decade ago when she was signed to Epic Records. 'I got dropped and it got shelved and they owned the masters,' Bonnie explained. 'So I pulled a Taylor Swift and I ended up rerecording all of the masters myself.' When she found fame on TikTok, she quickly realized that many of her fans were obsessed with Hot City and were clamoring for the songs to come out. In fact, some even had the lyrics tattooed on them. She decided to dive into the vault and bring recession pop back to life. Bonnie, often called Hollywood's secret weapon, believes a truly great recession pop song needs 'an element of escapism and an element of hope and has to be upbeat, danceable or at least uplifting in some way.' And 'it has a has to have a little bit of heart because we all are living in a very real time and people are looking for something to connect to.' The best example of this from her repertoire just might be Dynamite, which 'on the surface sounds just like a party time song, but is actually about surrender.' The American Girl singer is now 13 years sober after struggling with a crystal meth addiction, but at the time, she wrote it about considering sobriety and 'surrendering to the new life' that she was embarking upon. Of course, the song and its catchy chorus quickly became inescapable, with even Lorde poking fun at it with her lyrics on Team: 'I'm kinda over gettin' told to throw my hands up in the air.' Bonnie called Lorde's infamous reaction 'totally fair, but explained, 'when I wrote that it was coming from a different place.' Bonnie has seen the music industry evolve since she wrote her first record at just 14, and not all of the changes have been positive. She described the royalties songwriters now receive as 'nothing' and 'insignificant.' 'On the streaming platforms, we get 0.0003 percent of a penny per stream,' Bonnie revealed, adding that 'it's not a livable wage for songwriters and that really needs to change.' 'It used to be if you were a middle class songwriter and you got a B-side on a Rihanna album, or even a smaller artist than that, you could buy a house. But these days that is not the case,' Bonnie explained. Now, as an indie artist, she's paying for everything herself and imagines a day where she can work with investors instead of 'record labels that are going to steal your soul.' It comes at a time where other independent artists like Kate Nash and Tyson Ritter from the All American Rejects are having similar conversations, and have even started OnlyFans accounts to make money to support their music after no longer working with major labels. Next up, Bonnie is working on a full-length album that's darker than ever before - but it's still full of the pop songs that made her famous. 'It's definitely my most brutally raw and honest lyrically but it's still bops. They're just a little darker but still danceable. I don't think I've ever been as vulnerable as I am in these songs and I think it can be cathartic for people,' Bonnie promised.
Fast Company
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
‘This was peak technology': Gen Z is bringing back the BlackBerry
It's 2009. Everyone is rocking ankle socks. 'TikTok,' is just a Ke$ha song. You pull out your BlackBerry Bold 9700 and update your BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) status. All is well. Before the iPhone, the BlackBerry was the 'it' phone. At its peak in the early 2000s, BlackBerry commanded over 50% of the U.S. and 20% of the global smartphone market. But times changed. Physical keyboards gave way to touchscreens, and eventually, BlackBerry discontinued support for its classic phones in 2022. But this isn't where the story ends. The 2000s have since made a comeback. As The New York Times recently reported, 'Everything Millennial Is Cool Again.' Adding to that list, I'm happy to report, is the humble BlackBerry. 'Getting a blackberry bold just because,' one TikTok user posted, holding up a BlackBerry Bold they purchased on eBay for $40. 'This is a sentence I never thought I would say, especially not in 2025,' another wrote, unboxing a second-hand BlackBerry Bold 9900. 'I got a Blackberry.' @ What's your pin? 🥲 #blackberryphone ♬ original sound – She goes on to explain: 'My first phone was an iPhone in 6th grade so I never got the chance to get a Blackberry like I always wanted. This has always been a dream of mine.' The hashtag #blackberry on TikTok now has over 125K posts, with users sharing their retro finds and long-forgotten phones pulled from drawers—including models like the BlackBerry Classic Q20 and a lilac BlackBerry Curve. @ 🔮🫧 lillac blackberry curve from 2009. This phone it's older than many of you on this app ! #y2kaesthetic #blackberryphone ♬ admire the perc – ! Just in time for Digital Detox Summer, Gen Z is putting down their iPhones and bringing back flip phones and trackpads. 'POV: you bought a blackberry in 2025 bc your iPhone is ruining your life,' one post with 6.4 million views reads. 'This was PEAK technology,' a commenter wrote. 'BlackBerry has the opportunity to make an amazing comeback,' another added. @shozi_055 My phone addiction is getting way too out of hand, I'm trying to take my life back #fypviralシ ♬ original sound – NOLSTALGIC SOUNDS A recent Reddit post hinted that might just be in the cards. Reddit user u/coldheartedsigma shared a since-deleted post to the r/BlackBerry subreddit but kept most of the details vague, citing an NDA. While some were skeptical, others couldn't contain their excitement. 'Please be real,' one wrote. 'Color me interested if this ever actually materializes,' another added. Whether or not the rumors pan out, Gen Z is bringing back the BlackBerry either way—even if it's just to take a break from scrolling TikTok to play BrickBreaker.
