Singer and songwriter Kesha, formerly stylized as Ke$ha is most known for her songs "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R." She has also been known since she was featured in Flo Rida's song "Right Round." Since 2005, she has been signed to Kemosabe Records, a label owned by producer Dr. Luke. However, in September 2013, a fan created a petition to release Kesha from Dr. Luke's management, as he was accused of limiting her creative growth. The following year in January 2014, Kesha was checked into a rehab facility; she had been suffering from bulimia nervosa ever since she was signed onto Dr. Luke's label. She believes that he was the reason for her eating disorder since he verbally abused her weight. He even compared her body shape to a refrigerator. Months later in October, Kesha sued Dr. Luke for 10 years of alleged sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, emotional abuse, and violation of California business practices. She also stated that she was repeatedly drugged and raped by Dr. Luke once she reached the age of 18. Dr. Luke then filed a countersuit and asked for the allegations of sexual assault to be dismissed. Later in June 2015, Kesha also added a suit against Sony Music Entertainment, as her lawyer claimed that Dr. Luke's abuse was obvious to them and Sony essentially ignored it.
Fast forward to February 19, 2016. New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich decided to rule against Kesha's request to nullify her contract with Dr. Luke, sending Kesha into a waterfall of tears. He will not let her walk away from her six album deal with Sony, as he stated that Sony would suffer if Kesha did not follow her contract. He said if she nullified her contract, the state's laws would be undermined and the court was not allowed to do so. Sony offered to let Kesha work with a producer other than Dr. Luke, but Kesha is worried that the company will not promote her music well if she is not working with Sony's top producer.
While Kesha is being supported by numerous fans, she is also backed by other celebrities, such as Lady Gaga, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, Lorde, Sara Bareilles, and Jangle Monae. Demi Lovato is also in support of Kesha, and takes it one step further in defining women empowerment. She says women need to use their voices to help the many that are voiceless in order to make changes in our society.
Even with so many in support of Kesha, it is still not enough to consider the consequences of this court ruling. It seems that it is more important for Sony to make money off of Kesha then to protect her well-being. It shows that this society is more focused on a man's career being sustained than a woman's. Many others have been allowed to break their contracts for way less intense reasons, such as Zayn Malik who was allowed to leave his contract because he did not want to be a part of One Direction anymore. Kesha was abused, drugged, and raped, yet when Chris Brown beat his girlfriend, his career seemed to only hit a minor downfall. By denying Kesha the right to break her contract that exposes her to abuse, Kesha is being denied basic human rights. Society needs to realize that she, like all women, are not objects and deserve to be treated with respect.
