118-474: High Road is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Kesha . It was released on January 31, 2020, through RCA and Kemosabe Records . Announced in late 2019, the album saw the singer once again taking over the role of sole executive producer , following Rainbow (2017). She collaborated with various songwriters and record producers to achieve her desired sonority, combining elements of her career beginnings and Rainbow . Musically, High Road
236-447: A mezzo-soprano voice, she possesses a "strong, sneering vibrato ", with a distinct yodel -like quality to her voice; she employs actual yodeling on the songs "Tik Tok" and "Cannibal". Having previously done country, pop rock, and electro, she had a clear idea of the synth-pop sound that she wanted for her debut album. The genre was popular at the time with many of her peers releasing similar sounds. Both of those albums are of
354-446: A "bass-bumping" electropop composition. It begins as an "emotive" piano-driven ballad followed by a hip hop- and EDM -influenced breakdown with a "low-riding bassline" and a "buzzed beat" that sees the singer rapping . Kesha stated that "Tonight" is a "celebratory" song about "fucking up what I have". The following track, " My Own Dance ", sees the singer addressing the expectations placed upon her and her music. It has been described as
472-402: A "bold statement about not being the thing people expect, or demand, you to be" which "finds her speaking her mind and making it clear that she's not going to dance for you because she's here to dance for herself". Both "Tonight" and "My Own Dance" were compared to Kesha's debut single " Tik Tok ". The "dance-floor inferno" lead single " Raising Hell " features guest vocals by Big Freedia and
590-432: A "distillation of the earnest, gravelly voice that made Kesha a star". The digital exclusive track "Summer" was compared to "Timber" and described as a "rather thought provoking, enjoyable pop track". In October 2019, to update her public on new releases, Kesha launched a hotline which featured a snippet of an upcoming song. Later that month the singer released a trailer to announce High Road 's release. "Raising Hell"
708-677: A "man-stealing ex-friend" with "humour and a chummy chatty style that moves into a more natural narrative". "Cowboy Blues" lyrically analyzes "the ways in which loneliness can cloud one's instincts" and was compared to Lady Gaga 's 2016 album Joanne and Taylor Swift 's works. The acoustic country ballad "Resentment" depicts a "relationship cracked apart by festering anger", with lyrics such as "I don't hate you, babe, it's worse than that / Cuz you hurt me, and I don't react." It features guest appearances by Brian Wilson , Sturgill Simpson , and Wrabel . Nick Lowe of Clash labeled "Birthday Suit" as "the most brilliant thing [Kesha's] ever done". It
826-534: A 30-second snippet of a new song. On her 36th birthday, the singer wiped her Instagram feed, and updated her profile picture to her new logo. In a second livestream, she revealed four new song titles: "Living in My Head", " Fine Line ", "The Drama", and " Eat the Acid ", and shared snippets of the latter two. The singer announced the album's title to be Gag Order , along with unveiling its artwork on April 25, 2023. The album
944-561: A 50th anniversary special in October of that year), ahead of a planned return in 2025 with a new May scheduling. [REDACTED] Dua Lipa Cold Heart (Pnau remix) All Too Well: The Short Film BTS Taylor Swift The AMAs was created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammy Awards after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS (which has broadcast all Grammy Award shows since then) picking up
1062-488: A celebrity or public figure who increases awareness of animal issues via the media. She received the award March 23, 2013, at The 2013 Genesis Awards Benefit Gala. She appeared alongside rock singer Iggy Pop in a campaign for PETA , protesting the clubbing of baby seals in Canada and later wrote on behalf of the organization to McDonald's over the conditions of their slaughterhouses. Kesha's second studio album, Warrior ,
1180-491: A dance trend using it on the video sharing platform TikTok . Following this, the song became a top 40 single in Canada and a new lyric video for the song was released. While self-isolating in her home due to the coronavirus pandemic , Kesha created a song titled "Home Alone". On April 18, 2020, she performed at the One World: Together at Home benefit event. Kesha announced the creation of her own podcast, Kesha and
1298-522: A devil character on their duet track, "What Baby Wants", on Cooper's album Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011). Kesha was named rights group Humane Society of the United States 's first global ambassador for animal rights , for which she is expected to bring attention to such practices as cosmetics testing on animals and shark finning . Kesha received the Wyler Award presented by The Humane Society as
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#17328847749901416-497: A full-length collaborative album with Kesha, called Lipsha . However, the project eventually cancelled in the winter of the same year. Kesha sent a message to a fan expressing how it was out of her control and that she wanted to release the material, even for free, saying that she did not care about the money. On October 7, 2013, Kesha and Pitbull released a collaboration, " Timber ", which became an international commercial success and Kesha's third number-one and tenth top-ten single on
1534-494: A melting candle made from a 3D scan of Kesha's head, which Dezeen described as "psychedelic". The image for the album were created by Brian Roettinger, a graphic designer who has worked with Jay Z , Childish Gambino and Florence and the Machine . Roetting explained that the melting candle represented that "nothing is permanent" as well as harkening to Kesha's exploration of themes of "joy" found in her earlier work. Kesha also sold
1652-420: A minute after running out of lyrics. It was the latter track that attracted attention. "I was so happy being broke. And I'm happy not being broke. It doesn't really affect me either way. I care about taking care of people that have taken care of me – that's important to me. But to be honest, I'm kind of repulsed by the gluttony and excesses of a lot of people in the limelight." —Kesha explaining
1770-511: A more mixed evaluation, Megan Buerger of Pitchfork summarized High Road as a setback following Rainbow , affirming that it "feels strained, scattershot, and loaded with tension, like someone trying to portray freedom and free-spiritedness—even a recovered sense of identity—who isn't quite there yet". She also criticized the album's premise, commenting that "it doesn’t feel like moving on, it feels like running away". Similarly, PopMatters ' Nick Malone discredited Kesha's attempts to unite
1888-715: A music video for the album's title track was released. On February 10, Kesha performed "Tonight" during the Live with Kelly and Ryan after- Oscars show. On April 17, she performed "Resentment" during the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon via a live streaming from her house. On April 26, 2020, she appeared in GLAAD 's event Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone, which will raise funds for LGBT -related organizations associated with CenterLink . On August 4, 2020,
2006-499: A new single titled " Rich, White, Straight Men " in June 2019. It was initially uploaded onto her YouTube account on June 2 without prior announcement and was made available in online music stores and streaming platforms six days later. In September 2019, Billboard published a cover story about the singer, in which she announced that her fourth studio album was in development and would be released in following December. Whilst discussing
2124-644: A poll of the public and fans, who can vote through the AMAs website. The event originally aired on ABC , after the network's contract to air the Grammy Awards expired; its contract expired after the 2022 ceremony, putting the American Music Awards on hiatus. In March 2024, it was announced that the AMAs would move to CBS as part of a package with its rights to broadcast the now DCP-owned Golden Globe Awards . The event remained on hiatus for 2024 (with CBS airing
2242-641: A rapper is no longer feasible." "Crazy Kids" and " C'Mon " took greater shifts into "party rap". Most of her lyrics chronicle her relationships and partying; the lighthearted subject matter of the latter and her unfiltered language saw many critics criticizing her for releasing frivolous and crass music. Jonah Weiner of Slate , however, stated that her jarring lyrics allowed her songs to become more memorable. In "Blah Blah Blah" and "Boots & Boys", she objectifies men to poke fun at how male fronted rock bands and rappers can get away with objectifying women and not vice versa. The title track to her debut, "Animal",
2360-439: A rapper, a topic she disagreed with until fellow rappers André 3000 , Wiz Khalifa , and Snoop Dogg endorsed her. On the subject, she said: "The first time someone called me a rapper, I started laughing. I was shocked, and thought it was hilarious. It's crazy and funny to me." The New York Times said Kesha "threatens to become the most influential female rapper of the day, or at least the most popular. Pretending Kesha isn't
2478-612: A single host. In 1991, Keenen Ivory Wayans became the first Hollywood actor to host the AMAs. From its inception in 1974 through 2003, the AMAs were held in mid- to late-January, but were moved to November (usually the Sunday before Thanksgiving) beginning in late 2003 so it would prevent the ceremony to further compete with other major awards shows (such as the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards ) and allows for ABC to have
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#17328847749902596-556: A single mother, struggled financially while supporting herself, Kesha, and Kesha's older brother Lagan; they relied on welfare payments and food stamps to get by. When Kesha was an infant, Pebe would often have to look after her onstage while performing. Kesha says she has no knowledge of her father's identity. In 2011, a man named Bob Chamberlain who called himself her father approached Star with pictures and letters, claiming they proved that he and Kesha had been in regular contact as father and daughter before she turned 19. Her mother
2714-593: A track from Zedd's second studio album. The cameo marked her first high-profile public performance since her ongoing legal battle with Dr. Luke. A studio version of the collaboration was released as a single on April 29, 2016. On May 22, 2016, Kesha covered Bob Dylan 's song " It Ain't Me Babe " at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards . On June 11, 2016, Kesha performed at Pride in the Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Kesha embarked on her third worldwide concert tour,
2832-540: A video for "Little Bit of Love", directed by Kesha and Jonah Best premiered on MTV Live and MTVU as well as on Kesha's Vevo channel. An acoustic performance "Kinky" was uploaded to Kesha's official YouTube account on October 24, 2020. In January 2020, Kesha announced the High Road Tour, with Freedia joining her as an opening act. The first concert was scheduled to take place on April 23 in Sugar Land, Texas . The tour
2950-453: A well-rated awards show during November sweeps. For the 2008 awards, Jimmy Kimmel hosted for his fifth year, tying with Glen Campbell for the most AMAs hosted or co-hosted. From 2009–2012, there was no host. Instead, the AMAs followed the Grammys' lead in having various celebrities give introductions. However, rapper Pitbull hosted the 2013 ceremony and 2014 ceremony. Jennifer Lopez hosted
3068-470: Is a "retro pop" song that samples musical elements from the Mario franchise and was compared to the works of Janet Jackson and Madonna . "Kinky" is a "suitably weird, wonderful and horny" electro – R&B song with elements of 1980s music and a "raunchy bassline ". It has a featuring credit for Ke$ ha, the stylization the singer used prior to Rainbow , and was compared to the works of Carly Rae Jepsen and
3186-419: Is a blend of multiple genres including gospel , EDM, country, and bounce . Compared to the single " Timber ", which Kesha was featured on, it features beat drops accompanied by "soaring synth beats", gospel choirs, handclaps, a church organ, horns, and a post-chorus by Freedia. In the title track, Kesha makes fun of people "who think she's too much of an airhead to write hits or even spell her own name". "Shadow"
3304-541: Is a day marked on my calendar when I am free to release music." On June 29, 2024, Kesha announced her new single, " Joyride ", which was released on July 4 through her self-titled label, Kesha Records. This marks her first release after parting ways with Kemosabe and RCA Records. Her sixth studio album is slated for a 2025 release. Kesha's independent record label entered a distribution deal with Alternative Distribution Alliance in September 2024. On October 14, 2024, Kesha
3422-427: Is a piano ballad that "demonstrates Kesha's ability to cohesively present all facets of her talent" and questions her right to be happy. The song was compared to Kesha's 2017 song " Praying " and purposefully recalls " Spaceship " in the lyrics "I love tripping in the desert with my best friends, seeing spaceships in the sky". The soul -influenced sixth track, "Honey", is built upon a guitar riff and lyrically debates
3540-458: Is held by Taylor Swift with 40 awards. The record for most American Music Awards won by a male artist belongs to Michael Jackson , who has collected 26 awards. The record for most American Music Awards won by a group belongs to Alabama , who have collected 18 awards. The record for the most American Music Awards won in a single year is held by Michael Jackson (in 1984) and Whitney Houston (in 1994), each with 8 awards to their credit (including
3658-400: Is more aspirational and is intended to inspire people to embrace their individuality. Much more experimental than Animal , her second album, Warrior , contains dubstep elements and explores erotic experiences Kesha encountered with ghosts on the song " Supernatural ". Overall, Kesha said the theme of Warrior is magic. Critics praised Warrior for its rock music influences, despite
High Road (Kesha album) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3776-614: Is mostly of Hungarian descent. One of Kesha's great-grandfathers was Polish. Pebe moved the family to Nashville in 1991 after securing a new publishing deal for her songwriting. She frequently brought Kesha and her brothers along to recording studios and encouraged Kesha to sing after noticing Kesha's talent. Kesha attended Franklin High School and Brentwood High School , and said she did not fit in, explaining that her unconventional style (such as homemade purple velvet pants and purple hair) did not endear her to other students. She played
3894-470: Is only given when there is a deserving recipient who is worthy of recognition for their accomplishments" and has been awarded to seven artists: The AMAs' producer Larry Klein stated: "The first-ever Icon Award was created to honor an artist whose body of work has made a profound influence over pop music on a global level." At the 2014 award ceremony, the Dick Clark Award for Excellence was given for
4012-462: Is primarily a pop , country and classic rock record, although it encompasses a variety of genres, including dance-pop , folk , electronic pop , synthpop , trip hop , electro-country, EDM , trap , dream pop , hip hop , and gospel . High Road was met with mostly positive reviews from music critics. The singer's reapproach of her partying personality was targeted by both positive and negative evaluations. The album debuted at number seven on
4130-510: The Award of Merit , with which both artists were honored in the respective years). The following list shows the artists with most wins in each category, adapted from the AMAs official website. The American Music Award of Merit has been awarded to thirty two artists, the latest being Sting (2016). The International Artist Award of Excellence is described as "an award which recognizes artists whose popularity and impact cross national boundaries and
4248-469: The Billboard Hot 100. In January 2014, Kesha checked into a rehabilitation center for bulimia nervosa and began to work on her third studio album. After rehab, she switched to using her birth name, Kesha, rather than her previous moniker, Ke$ ha. In her August 2014 Teen Vogue cover interview, Kesha revealed she recorded 14 new songs while in rehab. In June 2014, Kesha claimed a seat as an expert in
4366-534: The Billboard Music Awards moved to an online only event in November 2023. In March 2024, it was announced that CBS had acquired the rights to broadcast the AMAs under a multi-year deal of unspecified length. The rights were bundled with CBS's five-year agreement to televise the Golden Globe Awards , whose telecast has historically been produced by DCP, and whose assets had been acquired by DCP in 2023. It
4484-729: The Kesha and the Creepies: Fuck the World Tour (2016–2017). The tour commenced on July 23, 2016, in Las Vegas and ended on July 21, 2017, in Aurora, Illinois, after various shows in China as well. The tour included various covers of songs and several rock and country reworks of Kesha's own hit singles. During this time, it was revealed that Kesha had recorded 22 songs on her own and had given them to her label, and
4602-672: The Norwegian Pearl , the cruise set off in Tampa, Florida, and ended in Nassau, Bahamas. Special guests included Wrabel , Jonathan Van Ness , Betty Who , Detox , and Superfruit , among others. On June 2, Kesha released a digital single titled " Rich, White, Straight Men ". On July 25, Kesha released the promo single " Best Day " for the film The Angry Birds Movie 2 . On November 7, Kesha officially announced her own cosmetics line in partnership with indie makeup brand Hipdot, Kesha Rose Beauty, which
4720-589: The Rainbow Tour (2017–2019), which began on September 26, 2017, in Birmingham, Alabama, and visited North America, Europe, Oceania, and Asia. She furthered promotion by joining a co-headlining concert tour with American rapper Macklemore named The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore (2018). This tour took place in North America between June 6, 2018, and August 5, 2018. Kesha's documentary film, Rainbow: The Film ,
4838-558: The Spice Girls . Lyrically, the song sees the singer "celebrating kinks ". Kesha sings about "preserving childlike innocence" in the "almost unbelievably bizarre" "Potato Song (Cuz I Want To)", which predominantly features oom-pah and saxophone . The singer said that the song is "about all the things that I want to do that, as an adult, are maybe kind of childish". Its polka influences were compared to Lily Allen 's 2009 song " Never Gonna Happen ". Thomas Green of The Arts Desk labeled it
High Road (Kesha album) - Misplaced Pages Continue
4956-848: The Warrior Tour , which would support the album. The North American leg was co-headlined with American rapper Pitbull . Kesha's third single from Warrior , " Crazy Kids ", was released in April 2013 and also under-performed, peaking at number 40 on the Hot 100, number 19 on the Mainstream Top 40, yet did achieve massive success in South Korea and Belgium, peaking at numbers 2 and 5 in those countries, respectively. A TV documentary, Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life , began airing on MTV also in April 2013. In July 2013, The Flaming Lips stated their intention of releasing
5074-410: The 2015 show. Gigi Hadid and Jay Pharoah hosted the 2016 show. Tracee Ellis Ross hosted the show in 2017 and 2018. Ciara hosted the 2019 show. Between 2012 and 2014, the American Music Awards used the lock screen wallpaper of Samsung Galaxy smartphones rather than envelopes to reveal winners, as part of a sponsorship by Samsung Electronics . A magnetic screen cover on each phone kept
5192-512: The AMAs website, while nominations have remained based on sales, airplay, now including activity on social networks, and video viewing. Before 2010, had nominations based only on sales and airplay and nominated every work, even if old. The Grammys have nominations based on vote of the Academy and only nominate a work from their eligibility period that changes often. The award statuette is manufactured by New York firm Society Awards . The hosts for
5310-641: The American television singing competition Rising Star , alongside Brad Paisley and Ludacris . In October 2014, Kesha sued producer Dr. Luke for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, emotional abuse, and violation of California business practices which had occurred over 10 years working together. The lawsuit went on for nearly a year before Kesha sought a preliminary injunction to release her from Kemosabe Records. On February 19, 2016, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich ruled against this request. On April 6, 2016, Kornreich dismissed
5428-578: The California Labor Commissioner to declare her contract with DAS void because it had acted as an unlicensed talent agent while procuring work for her in California, where only licensed agents can do so. The case was settled in 2012 before the release of her second album. Kesha held a benefit concert on June 16, 2010, where all proceeds went to aid victims of the 2010 Tennessee floods in her hometown Nashville. She raised close to $ 70,000 from
5546-580: The Change", which served as a single to promote On the Basis of Sex (2018), a biographical film about Ruth Bader Ginsburg . In October 2018, Kesha collaborated, wrote, and performed on the song " Safe " with her younger brother Sage Sebert and rapper Chika, as an homage for the Parkland high school shooting . In February 2019, Kesha hosted a 4-day-long cruise called Kesha's Weird and Wonderful Rainbow Ride. Sailing on
5664-457: The Creepies , with an announcement video on November 13, 2020. The podcast explores supernatural subjects and alternative lifestyles with pop culture guests and supernatural experts such as Alice Cooper , Demi Lovato , Tyler Henry , Ben Folds and more. The first episode was released on November 19, 2020, with new episodes premiering almost every Friday. The first season ran for 30 episodes, with
5782-605: The English-speaking world and reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, and Belgium. " C'Mon ", the album's second single, underperformed commercially, only peaking at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ending her string of top ten hits on the chart. Despite this, "C'Mon" continued Kesha's streak of top ten hits (with nine) on the Mainstream Top 40 Pop Songs chart, also graphed by Billboard . In July 2013, Kesha started
5900-668: The Gag Order Tour, which would later be renamed the Only Love Tour , following the settlement of her lawsuit. Through a joint statement, Kesha and Dr. Luke announced on June 22, 2023, that their case was officially settled, a month before the case was to go to trial. In her statement, Kesha says while she doesn't recall everything that happened the night of the alleged assault, she is looking forward to moving on with her life and wishes peace to all parties involved. Dr. Luke continued to deny Kesha's original claims in his statement. Details of
6018-554: The Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC . In 2014, American network Telemundo acquired the rights to produce a Spanish-language version of the American Music Awards and launched the Latin American Music Awards in 2015. Nominations are selected based on commercial performance, such as sales and airplay. Winners have been determined by a poll of the public and fans, who can vote through
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#17328847749906136-400: The November scheduling that was typically occupied by the American Music Awards, leading to speculation that the AMAs would be discontinued in order to focus on the Billboard Music Awards, or at the very least cancelled for 2023 so it could move to May in its place. It was reported that the broadcast rights for both events (which had been held by NBC and ABC respectively) would also be shopped;
6254-449: The Sebert family aired in 2005. Martin had received one of Kesha's demos from Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at Broadcast Music Incorporated , and was impressed. Billboard described two of the demos in a cover story, the first as "a gorgeously sung, self-penned country ballad" and the second as "a gobsmackingly awful trip-hop track" where Kesha raps ad lib for
6372-536: The US Billboard 200 albums chart, making it Kesha's fourth top-ten album in the country. It was supported by four singles: " Raising Hell " featuring Big Freedia , " My Own Dance ", " Resentment ", and " Tonight ". Kesha was set to embark on the High Road Tour to promote the album, but the tour was ultimately cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . After the release of Rainbow , her third studio album, Kesha issued
6490-513: The US Billboard 200 with Animal (2010) and Rainbow (2017), and the top-ten records Warrior (2012) and High Road (2020). She attained ten top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 , including " Tik Tok ", "Right Round" with Flo Rida, " My First Kiss " with 3OH!3 , " Blah Blah Blah ", " Your Love Is My Drug ", " Take It Off ", " We R Who We R ", " Blow ", " Die Young ", and " Timber " with Pitbull . Her 2009 single "Tik Tok"
6608-521: The Virgin , which aired on October 12, 2015. The singer played Annabelle, the show's protagonist's hostile neighbor. In December 2015, Kesha revealed that she had formed a country music and classic rock-influenced band called Yeast Infection and performed a live show with the band in Nashville on December 23. Kesha appeared during Zedd 's slot at the 2016 Coachella music festival to perform " True Colors ",
6726-564: The World Ends " (2011) for Britney Spears and songs for Ariana Grande , Miley Cyrus and Miranda Cosgrove . Kesha Rose Sebert was born on March 1, 1987, in Los Angeles . Her mother, Rosemary Patricia "Pebe" Sebert , is a singer-songwriter who co-wrote the 1978 single " Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You " with Hugh Moffatt for Joe Sun , made popular by country music artist Dolly Parton on her 1980 album Dolly, Dolly, Dolly . Pebe,
6844-412: The album addresses themes of romantic relationships, friendships, self-empowerment, family, and escapism. In the early stages of the album, Kesha's brother suggested that she make uptempo songs as in the past, but she rejected the idea because she didn't want to meet the audience's expectations. After the release of Rainbow , whose main motto was the trauma that Kesha experienced and was experiencing at
6962-402: The album being deeply rooted in technopop. Applauding the album's rock sound, Rolling Stone called the album Kesha's rock manifesto. Rock icons The Flaming Lips , Iggy Pop , and Alice Cooper have collaborated with Kesha, endorsing her as a rock singer. Cooper told Billboard , "I immediately looked at her and went, 'This girl is not a pop diva. She's a rock singer.' She would much rather be
7080-537: The album's liner notes , and organized in alphabetical order by surname. Kesha Kesha Rose Sebert ( / ˈ k ɛ ʃ ə ˈ s iː b ər t / KESH -ə SEE -bərt ; born March 1, 1987), known mononymously as Kesha (formerly stylized as Ke$ ha ), is an American singer and songwriter. Kesha's first major success came in early 2009 when she was featured on rapper Flo Rida 's number-one single, " Right Round ". Kesha's music and image propelled her to immediate success. She has earned two number-one albums on
7198-490: The album's artwork and track listing were unveiled. In December 2019, RCA Records announced that additional songs would be included in the track listing. The record's release date was postponed to January 10 and later to January 31, 2020. On the eve of the album's street date , Kesha revealed via Twitter that she had finalized a song titled "Summer" five days earlier. It was included as the closing track on digital versions of High Road . The cover art for High Road depicts
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#17328847749907316-401: The album's best song. The dream pop number "BFF" also features Wrabel, who is Kesha's long-time friend, and lyrically depicts their friendship. Kesha discourses about her absent father in "Father Daughter Dance". High Road ends with "Chasing Thunder", an "ode to wandering, and 'never growing up'" which was sonically compared to the work of Florence and the Machine . It has been described as
7434-445: The album's release; " Woman ", " Learn to Let Go " and " Hymn ", two of which were released with accompanying music videos. "Learn to Let Go" was later released as the second single from the album in November 2017. The album received nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance (for "Praying") at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards , marking Kesha's first Grammy nominations. To promote Rainbow , Kesha embarked on
7552-491: The album's title as High Road . Prior to its release, the album saw the release of four singles: " Raising Hell " featuring Big Freedia , " My Own Dance ", " Resentment " featuring Brian Wilson , Sturgill Simpson and Wrabel , and " Tonight ". She was to embark on her fifth headlining tour, the High Road Tour in 2020, but it was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic . In February 2020, Kesha's 2010 promotional single " Cannibal " gained viral status following
7670-472: The album. For the album, she wrote approximately 200 songs. It was certified Platinum in the United States and had sold two million albums worldwide by September of that year. The album's lead single, " Tik Tok ", broke the record in the United States for the highest sales week for a single, with 610,000 digital downloads sold in a single week, the highest ever by a female artist since digital download tracking began in 2003. It spent nine weeks at number one in
7788-522: The ballads "Animal" and "Hungover" on the album. Kesha's second studio album Warrior used considerably less auto-tune, although it still showed in a number of songs. The album's piano and guitar-driven ballads such as "Love into the Light", "Wonderland" and "Past Lives" display Kesha's vocal ability. Kesha also uses a trademark talky "white-girl" rapping style with exaggerated discordant phrasing and enunciation. Her vocal technique has led her to be credited as
7906-400: The case, saying that even if the allegations of sexual assault were accepted as true, the five-year statute of limitations had run out on the two most specific rape allegations; one occurring in 2005 and the other in 2008. On August 4, 2015, Kesha signed with American performance rights organization SESAC Inc. Kesha guest starred in the second season of the U.S. television series Jane
8024-498: The country and became the longest running number-one by a female artist on her debut single since Debby Boone and " You Light Up My Life " in 1977. As of 2019, "Tik Tok" has sold about 14 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling single in digital history and the best-selling digital single in history by a female solo artist. Subsequent singles from the album (" Blah Blah Blah ", " Your Love Is My Drug " and " Take It Off ") achieved similar commercial success, each reaching
8142-527: The critical consensus. Adam White of The Independent praised the singer's maturity and confidence. The A.V. Club 's Annie Zaleski praised the album for its musical diversity and lyrical and emotional depth. Sal Cinquemani of Slant also praised the album's sentimental approach, despite labeling it as Kesha's "least consistent" album due to the variety of music genres. Nick Lowe of Clash complimented it for not sounding forced despite its versatility, writing that Kesha "searches deep and emancipates
8260-400: The different approaches in an attempt to make them coexist in her personality. Laura Snapes of The Guardian affirms that High Road builds a new figure for Kesha's music "in the way that Tina Turner and Rihanna did after rejecting their own victim narratives", referring to the legal battle against Dr. Luke . The album's standard edition contains 15 tracks. It opens with " Tonight ",
8378-530: The diverse sounds with which she has worked throughout her career and even devalued the investment to return to Kesha's partying identity. He compared Kesha's concern with her audience's perception of herself to Miley Cyrus 's fifth studio album Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz . In June 2020, the album was included on Rolling Stone and American Songwriter ' s list of the best albums of 2020 so far. All tracks are written by Kesha Sebert , with additional contributors noted Notes Credits adapted from
8496-518: The dollar sign in her stylized name. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to the music publishing company Prescription Songs . Kesha later sang background vocals for Paris Hilton's single, " Nothing in This World ". Kesha then signed with David Sonenberg 's management company, DAS Communications Inc., in 2006. DAS was tasked with obtaining a major label record deal for Kesha in a year's time in exchange for 20 percent of her music income, with her having
8614-617: The embodiment of sheer delight". Writing for DIY , Elly Watson defined the album as an "overwhelmingly triumphant pop offering that sees Kesha back at her best and having shit tons of fun while doing it". The Guardian 's Aimee Cliff recognized the album as derived from the singer's early works with a "new sense of underlying self-awareness". Focusing on the same topic, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone praised Kesha's return to her party persona. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic and Louise Bruton of The Irish Times particularly praised "My Own Dance" and Kesha's lyrical duplicity. In
8732-567: The event. She was a supporting act on the summer North American leg of Rihanna 's Last Girl on Earth and was awarded Best New Act at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards . In November 2010, Animal was re-released with a companion extended play, Cannibal . The lead single taken from Cannibal , " We R Who We R ", debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. With two number ones and four top ten hits (among them her featured spot on 3OH!3's " My First Kiss ") Kesha
8850-544: The female Robert Plant than the next Britney Spears." The A.V. Club said that Warrior proved Kesha a capable vocalist and songwriter. The Washington Post said that the album is "pure fun", opining that Kesha can write good hooks despite her sometimes vapid lyricism. American Music Awards The American Music Awards ( AMAs ) is an annual American music awards show produced by Dick Clark Productions since 1974. Nominees are selected on commercial performance, such as sales and airplay. Winners are determined by
8968-541: The final episode airing on June 10, 2021. She later released several collaborations throughout 2020 and 2021, including "Chasing Rainbows" with Big Freedia, "Since I Was Young" with Wrabel, " Stronger " with Dutch DJ, Sam Feldt , and remixes of Walker Hayes ' single, " Fancy Like ", and Grandson 's "Drop Dead". Following the cancellation of the High Road Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kesha embarked on her fifth headlining tour, Kesha Live (2021) with Betty Who serving as
9086-479: The first AMAs were Helen Reddy , Roger Miller , and Smokey Robinson . Reddy not only hosted the show but also became the first artist to win an AMA for Favorite Pop/Rock Female artist. For the first two decades, the AMAs had multiple hosts, each representing a genre of music. For instance, Glen Campbell , who co-hosted the AMAs five times, would host the country portion, while other artists would co-host to represent their genre. In recent years, however, there has been
9204-497: The first time. It was created to recognize "an artist who achieves a groundbreaking feat or creates a landmark work. It is to be bestowed upon someone whose spirit and excellence capture the visionary passion that Dick Clark himself incorporated into everything he did." In 2000, the year Brooks won the award, the AMAs held a poll to elect the Artist of the Decade for each previous decade of
9322-436: The fourth on January 31, 2020. A music video for "Resentment" was shot with Kesha's personal iPhone and released on December 12. Kesha and Freedia performed "Raising Hell" on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on January 10. Acoustic versions of "Raising Hell" and "Resentment" were released on January 29. The following day, she performed "Resentment" alongside Wrabel on The Late Late Show with James Corden . On February 3,
9440-498: The genre with catchy hooks and synthesized productions often compared to pop singer Dev by music critics, creating misunderstandings among the fans of the two. "Party at a Rich Dude's House" and "C U Next Tuesday" have 1980s derived backing, while "Stephen" begins with " Kansas -style vocal harmonies". " Dinosaur " follows a verse-chorus formula , and has a "cheerleader-type tune" reminiscent of " Hollaback Girl " (2005) by Gwen Stefani and " Girlfriend " (2007) by Avril Lavigne ;
9558-622: The lyrics of the album, Kesha commented that it would emphasize "the happiness that I began my career with", although "more earned and healthier than ever". Musically, it would define a "full return to Kesha's pop roots, after leaning into a more country – soul sound" in Rainbow . Kesha worked with some previous partners, such as Wrabel , Nate Ruess , Justin Tranter , and her mother Pebe Sebert , as well as new collaborators, including Tayla Parx , and Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons . In October 2019,
9676-546: The opening act. The tour began on August 13, 2021, in Billings, Montana, and was originally to have 11 shows in the U.S., but got extended to 22, ending on September 12, 2021. Seven more tour dates were announced for late March 2022, which was to be followed by Kesha's second cruise tour, scheduled to set sail on April 1, 2022. However, the cruise and the spring tour dates were cancelled due to undisclosed reasons. In late August 2021, Kesha served as executive producer and starred in
9794-515: The option of ending the relationship if they failed. She worked with several writers and producers while at the company and ended up co-writing Australian pop group the Veronicas ' single " This Love " with producer Toby Gad . While furthering her career in the studio, Kesha earned her living as a waitress. While struggling to get by, she began stylizing her name as 'Ke$ ha', explaining the dollar sign as an ironic gesture. In 2008, Kesha appeared in
9912-404: The part. She also refused to appear in the video, explaining to men's magazine Esquire that she wanted to make a name for herself on her own terms. After failing to negotiate with Lava Records and Atlantic Records in 2009, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records . Having spent the previous 6 years working on material for her debut album, she began putting finishing touches to
10030-419: The parties present, the collaboration happened by accident; she had simply walked into a recording session for the song and Flo Rida happened to have wanted a female voice on it. It was reported that Flo Rida liked the result so much that he recorded one more track with Kesha for his album. However, she is not credited for her feature on the United States release of "Right Round" and did not collect any money for
10148-530: The personas approached by Kesha throughout her career, which occurs musically and lyrically on the album, received polarizing responses, with some critics praising the artist's uniqueness, while others pointed out a false personality construction. At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 73 based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.0 out of 10, based on their assessment of
10266-533: The replicas of candle as merchandise for the album. Roettinger also served as the art director for the album and corresponding tour. Roettinger also used the motif of melting wax for Kesha's performance at the American Music Awards . Musically, High Road has been described as a "full-blown" pop , electro-country, and classic rock record, utilizing musical and vocal characteristics of other music genres, such as hip hop , and electronic music . Lyrically,
10384-512: The same time, Kesha also amicably split with Vector Management. She released a statement thanking her former manager, Jack Rovner. Kesha taught a two-and-a-half week songwriting course called 'The Alchemy of Pop Music' at the Esalen Institute in early 2024. It was reported in early February 2024 that Kesha signed with Crush Management . In an interview with V Magazine , Kesha shared that she has been writing new music and stated, "There
10502-441: The scripted podcast, Electric Easy , a musical neo-noir science fiction show set in a futuristic Los Angeles in which humans struggle to co-exist with robots, known as "electrics". The podcast also starred actor Mason Gooding and singer Chloe Bailey and featured original music from Kesha. The show was created by Vanya Asher and executively produced by Kesha. The podcast premiered on August 30, 2021. Kesha provided vocals for
10620-485: The settlement were not revealed immediately. This came after The Court of Appeals in New York ruled that Dr. Luke is a limited public figure. Dr. Luke would have needed to prove that Kesha acted in malice when she filed her lawsuit, and she would've been able to recover fees for the litigation beginning in 2020. Following the settlement, Kesha went on her social media and expressed her gratitude to her supporters and said she
10738-467: The song "2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)" for the band's album, The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (2012). To coincide with the release of the album, Kesha released the illustrated autobiography My Crazy Beautiful Life through Touchstone Books in November 2012. The first single taken from Warrior was " Die Young ". The song debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and eventually peaked at number 2. The song also charted across Europe and
10856-465: The song uses the overt symbolism of dinosaurs, carnivory , and other primitive motifs to tell the story of an older man who preys on younger women. According to Kesha, the song is based on true events. While her vocals on Animal were heavily processed with auto-tune, often to produce rapid stuttering or over-pitch corrected vocal effects, leading to questions on vocal talent, she expressed confidence in her abilities, showing some of her vocal talent in
10974-472: The song, " Taste So Good ", which also featured Hayley Kiyoko , Vincint , and MNEK . The song was released on June 1, 2022, and was used to promote the cannabis infused drink, Cann. She starred in and produced the show, Conjuring Kesha , which premiered on July 8, 2022, on Discovery+ . In the show, Kesha and her guests explore paranormal hotspots. On an Instagram Livestream in February 2023, Kesha previewed
11092-463: The time, she decided to get closer to a "party girl" personality, who was present and helped to build the singer's public identity during the beginning of her career, especially in the Animal era. Along with the singer's visuals, Rainbow 's lyrical and musical elements were unusual in relation to her previous works due to its more optimistic and sentimental approach. On High Road , she chose to blend
11210-422: The top ten in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Kesha was also featured on two top ten singles by musician Taio Cruz and electropop duo 3OH!3 . Kesha's deliberately unpolished aesthetic and juvenile stage persona, which she described as her own personality "times ten", quickly made her a deeply polarizing figure. Some of her critics found her output to be unsophisticated, while others felt that she
11328-403: The trumpet and later the saxophone in the school marching band, and has said she was a diligent student. She dropped out of school at 17 after Max Martin convinced her to return to Los Angeles to pursue a music career and earned her GED after. In a 2024 interview, Kesha contradicted past statements, saying that she never earned her GED. After attaining a near-perfect score on her SAT , she
11446-562: The video for her friend Katy Perry 's single " I Kissed a Girl ", and sang background vocals for Britney Spears ' "Lace and Leather". DAS soon attracted the attention of songwriter and A&R Kara DioGuardi , who wanted to sign Kesha to Warner Bros. Records . The deal fell through due to her existing contract with Kemosabe. In September that year, she allegedly terminated her contract with DAS. Kesha would appear on rapper Flo Rida 's number-one single " Right Round " in early 2009, which exposed her to some mainstream attention. According to
11564-616: The wallpaper image with the winner's name secret until opened. In August 2018, Dick Clark Productions announced a two-year sponsorship and content partnership with YouTube Music . However, this partnership seemed to have lasted only for the 2018 ceremony , as there was no mention of the YouTube Music partnership in the 2019 show . In March 2023, it was announced that the Billboard Music Awards , which are also produced by DCP via co-owned Billboard , had been moved from May to
11682-423: Was also in a band with Lagan. Kesha and Pebe co-wrote the song " Stephen " when Kesha was 16. Kesha then tracked down David Gamson , a producer she admired from Scritti Politti , who agreed to produce the song. Around this time, Pebe answered an advertisement from the American reality TV series The Simple Life looking for an "eccentric" family to host Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie . The episode featuring
11800-491: Was excited for the "beautiful things to come". The next day, she announced her third extended play, Gag Order (Live Acoustic EP from Space) and revealed its cover art. The EP contains four live acoustic performances from her album, with Nick Annis providing production. On December 18, 2023, seven months after the release of her last contractual album, Variety reported Kesha had parted ways with Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records and distributor RCA as their contract expired. At
11918-421: Was expanded with a summer leg due to the first leg selling out and spanned three continents. Kesha co-wrote the song " Till the World Ends " for American popstar Britney Spears and was featured on the remix of the song along with rapper Nicki Minaj . After meeting Kesha at the 2010 Grammy Awards and guesting at a number of her concerts, rock singer Alice Cooper asked her to write lyrics for and vocally perform as
12036-476: Was featured on the remix of Charli XCX 's song, "Spring Breakers", which was featured on her album, Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat . The following day, a cover of Lindsey Buckingham 's song, " Holiday Road " was released as part of Spotify Singles Holiday. Kesha wrote or co-wrote every song on her first two albums and considers herself a songwriter primarily, writing for artists including Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus . Along with
12154-407: Was halted between Warrior and Rainbow due to a legal dispute with her former producer Dr. Luke , which began in 2014. A series of lawsuits, known collectively as Kesha v. Dr. Luke , were exchanged between the two parties in which Kesha accused him of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and employment discrimination against her, while Dr. Luke claimed breach of contract and defamation. The case
12272-444: Was in the process of recording a third studio album. On July 6, 2017, Kesha released a single, titled " Praying ". The single charted successfully at number 6 on the music charts of Australia, selling over 140,000 copies and being certified 2× Platinum in the country. The single charted at number 22 and number 11 in the United States and Canada respectively, and subsequently was certified Platinum in both territories. "Praying"
12390-588: Was initially postponed to late 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 31, but then it was officially cancelled on May 1. The June 27, 2020 show is part of the Soundtrack Music Festival. On February 9, 2020, High Road debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 albums chart with 45,000 album-equivalent units consumed, of which 35,000 were pure album sales, making it Kesha's fourth US top-ten album. High Road received positive reviews from contemporary music critics . The union of
12508-452: Was issued as the follow-up single. A music video directed by Allie Avital premiered the same day. The song was sent to Australian contemporary hit radio stations in the following day. On November 24, 2019, at the 47th ceremony of the American Music Awards , Kesha performed "Raising Hell" and "Tik Tok". "Resentment" was sent to Australian contemporary hit radio stations as the album's third single on December 13, 2019, followed by "Tonight" as
12626-536: Was manufactured and lacked credibility. In May 2010, Kesha's former managers from DAS Communications Inc. filed a lawsuit against her, seeking $ 14 million from her for commissions on her RCA Records deal, alleging that she had extended the deadline for them to get her a major record label contract and squeezed them out of her career. Kesha launched her own lawsuit in October, citing the California-exclusive Talent Agencies Act and asking
12744-532: Was named Hot 100 Artist of 2010 by Billboard magazine, with "Tik Tok" ranked as the best-performing song of the year in the US. The follow-up single from Cannibal , " Blow ", also charted in the top ten on the Hot 100. By June 2011, Kesha had sold almost 21 million digital single downloads in the United States alone. In February 2011, Kesha embarked on her first headlining world tour, the Get Sleazy Tour . The tour
12862-510: Was not stated whether the contract is for the same period as the Golden Globes agreement. The AMAs continued to be on hiatus for 2024, with a return scheduled for May 2025. In lieu of a 2024 ceremony, a televised special honoring the AMAs' 50th anniversary was aired by CBS on October 6, 2024, including performances and retrospectives paying tribute to the ceremony's history and memorable moments. The record for most American Music Awards won
12980-403: Was offered a scholarship to Barnard College , an affiliate college of Columbia University , but decided to pursue her music career. In addition to taking songwriting classes, Kesha was also taught how to write songs by Pebe, and they often wrote together when she returned home from high school. Kesha began recording demos, which Pebe gave to people she knew in the music business. Kesha
13098-422: Was released December 6. The line features an eyeshadow palette with each color named after her songs, two double-ended waterproof eyeliners, a red lipstick, and a lipgloss. High Road , Kesha's fourth studio album, was released January 31, 2020. The album performed moderately commercially and received positive reviews. Originally slated for December 2019, Kesha released a trailer on October 21, 2019, to confirm
13216-533: Was released as the album's lead single on October 24, 2019, alongside its music video, which was directed by Luke Gilford. In the United States, it peaked at number five on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and at number 17 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. Kesha and Freedia performed the song for the first time on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 28. On November 21, 2019, "My Own Dance"
13334-597: Was released as the lead single from Kesha's third studio album, Rainbow , which was released on August 11, 2017. Rainbow debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States, becoming her second number-one album in the country, and was the subject of universal acclaim from music critics, with several complimenting the album's feminist angle and uniqueness as well as Kesha's vocal performance and ability to interweave different music genres. Three tracks from Rainbow were released as promotional singles ahead of
13452-399: Was released on Apple Music on August 10, 2018. The documentary chronicles her stint in rehab for her eating disorder and the creation of Rainbow . In the same month, Kesha collaborated with British rock band The Struts on the remix of their song " Body Talks ", released as a single from their album Young & Dangerous (2018). On September 19, 2018, Kesha released her song "Here Comes
13570-440: Was released on May 19, 2023, and three singles, "Eat the Acid", "Fine Line", both were released as a dual single, and " Only Love Can Save Us Now ". Produced by Rick Rubin , the project sees Kesha at her most vulnerable and digs into her "uglier" emotions. The album focused on overcoming trauma and depression from the lawsuit with her former producer, Dr. Luke. To promote the album, Kesha would embark on her sixth headlining tour,
13688-400: Was released on November 30, 2012. She began writing for the album while on her own headlining tour in 2011. The album featured productions from Max Martin, as well as a song by Wayne Coyne , the lead singer of the alternative band The Flaming Lips . Coyne had reached out to Kesha for a collaboration after hearing that she was a fan of the band. Besides working on Kesha's album, they recorded
13806-533: Was settled out of court in June 2023. Kesha had sold over 100 million records worldwide, including 87 million tracks and streams as of 2017 and 14 million album equivalent units as of 2019. She was also listed as the 26th top artist on Billboard ' s 2010s decade-end charts. She has received various awards and nominations, including the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act in 2010. Kesha has also co-written songs for other artists, including " Till
13924-415: Was the best-selling digital single in history , selling over 14 million units internationally, until surpassed in 2011. She fulfilled her five-album contract with Kemosabe Records by releasing the album Gag Order (2023), and later released her first independent single " Joyride " under her own label titled Kesha Records in 2024. Kesha's sixth album is currently set to be released in 2025. Kesha's career
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