“Kesha Gets Candid About Empowerment on Her New Album: ‘Taking Back My Voice Has Been Emotional — and I’m Done Worrying What Anyone Thinks’”
By Website Content Manager
“I finally have full control again, and it feels amazing,” Kesha shares with PEOPLE in this week’s issue, just before the release of her sixth studio album.
Kesha on Healing Through Music and Reclaiming Her Voice: ‘I’m Learning to Be Free Again’
Kesha learned early in life that art, especially music, could offer healing. Raised by her mother, songwriter Pebe Sebert, the two shared a deep bond through music despite financial struggles.
“We relied on food stamps when I was a kid,” the 38-year-old pop star shared with PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “I remember wondering what actually brings people joy when life is tough — and realizing that upbeat music has the power to do that.”
That insight stayed with her. Over the years, music has served as Kesha’s emotional anchor through a range of personal, professional, and legal challenges. Now, she’s entering a new chapter with the release of her sixth album, titled . (PERIOD), dropping Friday, July 4 via her independent label, Kesha Records — and she’s never felt more in control.
“I get really emotional thinking about it,” she admitted. “I’ve set a daily reminder on my phone that says, ‘You are free. Are you following your joy?’ For years, the answer was no. Now, I’m teaching myself to move, sing, and live like a woman who is truly free.”
Kesha burst onto the music scene in 2009 with her breakout single “TiK ToK,” which quickly shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her debut album Animal cemented her as a pop powerhouse. Reflecting on that whirlwind time, she described it as surreal.
“I went from crashing on floors in punk houses — we even called one place the ‘Drunk Tank’ — to opening for Rihanna in less than two years,” she recalled. “It was overwhelming, but also incredible.”
However, fame brought its share of struggles. During the creation of her second album Warrior in 2012, she clashed with collaborators over creative direction. Though it produced the hit “Die Young,” it didn’t fully reflect her artistic vision. By early 2014, she had entered treatment for disordered eating.
That same year, she filed a lawsuit against producer Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, accusing him of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse — claims he denied while launching a countersuit. In 2016, her case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations, and the legal battle finally concluded in 2023 with an out-of-court settlement.
Amid this turmoil, Kesha created her most personal work yet — 2017’s Rainbow, an album filled with raw emotion and hope. Its lead single, “Praying,” became an anthem of resilience, written at a time when her own future still felt uncertain.
“What’s fascinating about being an artist,” Kesha reflects, “is that you can be in the middle of your own struggles and still show up in the studio saying, ‘We’re going to get through this — let’s make something joyful.’ Creating music can lift me out of whatever low I’m feeling.”
She adds that sharing her truth feels essential to her work: “As a songwriter and artist, I believe it’s part of my job to be real about what I’m going through.”
Since then, Kesha has continued to evolve musically, releasing High Road in 2020 and Gag Order (later retitled Eat the Acid) in 2023. With the latter, she also marked the end of her longtime deal with Sony Music.