Despite losing the war for freedom from having to work for her alleged abuser, Kesha is back in the studio recording new music thanks to the help of a fellow music artist friend. Popular EDM producer and DJ Zedd, who pledged his support of the embattled artist back in February, is helping Kesha produce a brand new track. Legally, Kesha still has to work “with” Sony and Dr. Luke, but she doesn’t have to record music in his presence. Whatever comes out of this session between Kesha and Zedd will undoubtedly pass through their hands, but at the very least, Kesha gets to flex her creative muscle and talents again. It seems there’s no silencing her, and that is just straight up fantastic.
@KeshaRose very very sorry to hear about the whole situation. I’ll be happy to produce a song for you if you want my help. — Zedd (@Zedd) February 22, 2016
You’ll remember that way back in February, a bunch of music artists were coming out in support of Kesha in her fight against Dr. Luke, her music producer and alleged abuser. According to Kesha, Dr. Luke had allegedly assaulted, harassed, abused, and raped her during their time working together. As well, he and Sony allegedly coerced her into silence by threatening her music career, which is an abuse of power often exploited by people who find themselves hierarchically above others.
Ultimately, Kesha would lose her case against Sony and Dr. Luke, as earlier this month, a judge threw her lawsuit out of court, then suggested that she was not a victim of a gender-based crime. What’s clear from this case is that a bit of a precedent has been set. The courts now show that they’re likely to side with a record company and business over the accounts of a woman who is trying to distance herself from her alleged abuser, all because she somehow didn’t fill out their checklist for a “perfect victim/survivor.” I shudder to think what message is being sent to those still potentially suffering in silence while working underneath people who may abuse them on the regular. If you can’t turn to the very system that’s ostensibly in place to protect you, then who can you turn to?
🔮 A photo posted by Zedd (@zedd) on
It seems the answer to that question might be “your fellow artists.” As I said in the post sharing news of her case being thrown out, Kesha’s career looked to be in jeopardy unless something drastic happened and fast. It makes me glad to say that recording with Zedd and getting some new music out might very well be exactly what she needed to do to keep her career alive. Only time will tell whether the product of this collaboration will see the light of day or not; retaliation for a harassment suit might be illegal, but there are so many ways a giant record company and notorious producer can mess with one’s career. It’s with no small hope that I say I can’t wait to hear what comes out of the studio between these two. If Kesha’s appearance as a guest performer for Zedd’s Coachella set is anything to go by, then there are some super exciting things coming down the line for her fans; she did, after all, tag that Instagram post above with #truecolors. Here’s hoping we get to throw Kesha’s rendition of that song onto our phones sometime soon.
(via Jezebel)
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