In the past few weeks after Kesha’s court trial denied her the right to break her contract with her manager, Dr. Luke, several celebrities have come forward to show their support against the sexual assault in which the court is denying to be in breach of contract. Among the celebrities to tweet support have been:
Demi Lovato
#FreeKesha 💗 this is only gonna make you stronger, you brave and beautiful girl. Prayers are with you @KeshaRose— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) February 20, 2016
Kelly Clarkson
Trying 2 not say anything since I can't say anything nice about a person... so this is me not talking about Dr. Luke — Kelly Clarkson (@kelly_clarkson) February 19, 2016
Lady Gaga
We can't be afraid to fight for our dignity. These are our basic human rights @KeshaRose — Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) March 7, 2016
There was some speculation with Kesha fans that it seemed to now be a trend of celebrities to show support however it was just done; through a tweet rather than action.
Recently this was fleshed out when Demi Lovato unofficially @ Taylor Swift for just donating money to the cause, but failed to open a dialogue with her fans about sexual assault.
I'm also ready for self-proclaimed feminists to start speaking out or taking action for women's rights.— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) February 21, 2016
Drama set aside, there is one celebrity who has gone above and beyond for her dear friend. This is Lady Gaga.
Unapologetic, outspoken, and unafraid of controversy, she has created an environment in which her fans are free with expression. Opening up the doors beyond her fan base, Lady Gaga seemed to play the largest role in support for Kesha.
AMP Radio supported Lady Gaga's efforts:
Her biggest impact of all was her performance of "Til It Happens To You" at the Oscars.
The song was originally released as a single in September of 2015 but was used in this performance as a pledge of support and has since risen to the top charts.
Standing beside 52 rape victims at a very public, nationally publicized award show she convicted a powerful message to all viewers.
The lyrics are simple and repetitive:
"Till it happens to you, you don't know/ How it feels/ How it feels/ Till it happens to you, you won't know/ It won't be real (how could you know?)/ No It won't be real (how could you know?)/ Won't know how I feel?"
By having straightforward yet ambiguous lyrics, Lady Gaga followed the popular music formula. Had they been complex the lyrics wouldn't stick in your head, but there is no escaping the message or forgetting in this case.
The support she has expressed towards Kesha is refreshing because it is not exclusive. It opens the doors to other sexual assault victims to have a safe space to talk.
In the case of Kesha, celebrities like Lady Gaga have projected support as well as education towards their fans in order to start a dialogue.
And as much as it saddens me that Kesha is the martyr in this case, at least the conversation is increasing!
#FreeKesha
