American singer and songwriter
Kesha Rose Sebert ( born March 1, 1987), known mononymously as Kesha (formerly stylized as Ke$ha), is an American singer and songwriter. In 2005, at age 18, Kesha was signed to Kemosabe Records. Her first major success came in early 2009 after she was featured on American 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 the US Billboard 200 with Animal (2010) and Rainbow (2017), and the top-ten records Warrior (2012) and High Road (2020). Kesha has attained ten top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, including "Tik Tok", "Blah Blah Blah", "Your Love Is My Drug", "Take It Off", "Blow", "Die Young", "My First Kiss" with 3OH!3, "We R Who We R", "Right Round" with Flo Rida, and "Timber" with Pitbull. Her 2009 single "Tik Tok" was the best-selling digital single in history, selling over 14 million units internationally, until surpassed in 2011.
Kesha's career was halted between Warrior and Rainbow due to a legal dispute with her former producer Dr. Luke, which has been ongoing since 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 claims breach of contract and defamation by Kesha.
As of 2013, Kesha has reportedly sold over 33 million combined tracks and ringtones in the U.S alone and over 55 million worldwide to date. She was also listed as the 26th top artist on Billboard's decade end charts from 2010 to 2019. She has received several awards and nominations, including her win for the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act in 2010. Kesha has also co-written songs for other artists, including "Till the World Ends" (2011) for Britney Spears and songs for Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Miranda Cosgrove.
I love wearing the exact same thing all the time because I think it makes you like a cartoon character. They always wear the same outfit and everybody always remembers them for it, so I feel like I should do the same thing.
I think people should give in to what they feel like doing at the time and be a raw animal.
I don't get embarrassed.
I don't really plan what comes out of my mouth, and that's what makes most of my lyrics entertaining.
One fan sent me one tooth, so I made a necklace out of it. But then I found a bunch of my baby teeth, and started realizing I would love to wear a piece of my fans' bodies on me.
Sometimes I have parties at my house in Nashville and it's clothing-optional, and we just body-paint each other and run around, and I have a giant bed. I'm very much in touch with that side of myself.
It can bum you out when your intentions aren't, like, translated properly.
I don't even think of myself as a quote, unquote star - that's really douchey. I think of myself as just like . . . a dance commander. You have to have dance parties all day and night, and you always have to be excited about having a dance party. You have to have a dance party in Milan one day, and then wake up and have a dance party at, like, four in the morning on national television in L.A. the next day. The hours are insane.
It's not acceptable to torture people for being themselves.
I do destroy men on a weekly basis. It's like a hobby. I'm like a praying mantis.
Life is short and the nights are long, and tonight I moved on.
I pretty much just talk to and about men the way men talk to and about women.
I don't want young people to think they can't make a difference because they don't have money.
I know that I have balls. I have bigger balls than a lot of the men that I meet. I'm just a ballsy motherf - ker. I'm not afraid of pushing boundaries. That's what you have to do to become an icon.
You're an animal, you live, maybe this one time is your lifetime - go there. Who cares what somebody else thinks?
Somebody sent me their tooth, which I now wear as an earring. It's a molar, I think. I love it when people send me body parts.
That depends. You’ve got to define ‘party girl.’ If you mean I’m a walking good time, then hells yeah. But I’m not wasted and stumbling out of clubs and getting DUIs. I’m not that kind of party girl. I may be blonde and fun as balls, but I’m not a moron.
I have haters. I have so many haters.
I love creepy old dudes. I love that they have so much self-confidence, despite having no evidence whatsoever to back it up.
I feel like my music stands for the ultimate statement of irreverence.
I was dating a guy once who spoke rudely to a taxi driver. I got out of the cab and walked home. Treat people with respect. I've waited tables, and that's why I just exceedingly overtip. It's exhausting work.
Parents should not let kids listen to my music if it's offensive. I wrote these songs for me.
I want people to think that I'm a magical, weird-looking freak of nature, but they really see me as a sexy Amazon jungle cat. That makes sense - I'm a little bit of both, but I definitely lean toward the narwhal side of the equation.
I try to show the freedom to be yourself, unapologetically and irreverently.
I'm not saying I'm the perfect role model. But I'm honest. Period.
I went through awkward, chubby, total weirdo phases.
I think a lot of people can get wrapped up in comparing themselves. And that's when the tragic downfall comes, because there will always be someone more beautiful.
I am a huge fan of the transgender community.
I'm just honest about the things I believe in. For instance, I went to a past-life regressionist, and he told me that in my past life I was assassinated. I'm pretty sure that I was JFK in my past life.
I don’t love just men. I love people. It’s not about a gender. It’s just about the spirit that exudes from that other person you’re with.
I just think that gay men have much better taste than any straight man I have met. I have never gotten any grief about having a good time, being unapologetic, and irreverent from a gay man.
We are what we are.
I wear [American flag] all the time. It represents my freedom to speak about exactly what I want to, whenever I want to.
I'm obsessed with beards. First of all, beards make you look like more of an animal. Second, I kind of like biting beards; it's a pastime of mine.
It's about time that society accepts people for who they are.
I'm obsessed with beards. First of all, beards make you look like more of an animal. Second, I kind of like biting beards; it's a pastime of mine. And when I make out with a dude who has a beard - who are the only kinds of dudes I make out with - then my glitter gets stuck in their beards, and then no other chick will make out with them for at least three days.
I think people can stand to take themselves just a little less seriously. I'm fighting the war against pretension.
I was never the cool kid, I was never hot in high school. I was never popular. You don't have to be perfect and you don't have to be rich and you can still be successful.
I definitely think women are running it right now. We are not afraid to speak our minds. It's exciting because that's what I stand for, for people to be irreverent and to be themselves.
You don't have to carry a designer bag that costs more than a car to look cool.
Go insane go insane, throw some glitter, make it rain...!
I have a belief that if I wear my placenta in a necklace, there’s a possibility of me gaining second sight - like being psychic. I would be wearing it whether or not I was in the public eye.
You have to have a sense of humor about life to get through it.
When you're around me, you're going to get glitter on you.
I embrace the imperfections and celebrate them.
Every weird thing about you is beautiful and makes life interesting.
I believe in karma, and I believe if you put out positive vibes to everybody, that's all you're going to get back.
My mom and I are very honest with each other, almost to a fault. But that's just the way I am in life. If you listen to my record, I'm just honest about stupid stuff most normal people wouldn't put in a pop song.
What I'm bringing to the pop table is that I'm not pretentious. I'm fighting this war against all that because pop music, in my opinion, should be fun.
I don’t even think of myself as a quote, unquote star - that’s really douchey. I think of myself as just like . . . a dance commander.
My favorite wild animal is a narwhal - the unicorn of the sea. It’s a whale with a tooth that sticks out of its head that’s almost two-thirds the length of its entire body.
The people who come to my shows have dollar signs drawn all over them. They have blue lipstick. I call them my animals because they just go totally mental.
People say that rock 'n' roll is dead, and I am making it my mission to resurrect it. I have rock 'n' roll pumping through my veins.
I would love to embody the attitude of Iggy Pop or Keith Richards: a ballsy mentality. Stylistically, I love Vivienne Westwood - those capes! I'm obsessed.
I'm over dudes trying to look like they're in boy bands.
What I'm bringing to the pop table is that I'm not pretentious.
Working in this industry, I have been exposed to so many products and now realize more than ever how cruel and unnecessary animal testing is.
Sometimes it is hard to sing and dance at the same time but I would rather be off and be real and genuine about it to my fans.
I'm not saying I look cool, but every single time I go onstage, it is a fail if I don't feel like I'm going to pass out at least twice.
I try to get in quiet time and book time, but really, the only time I ever get that is when I'm on an airplane - I have a fear of flying, but I actually love flying because it's the only time I can sleep, and it's the only time I get to read.
Making my last record, Warrior, was a pretty miserable process, and it wore my spirit down. I was fighting like hell to keep my whole irreverent essence and everything raw and visceral that I stand for in it, but in the end I was promoting something that wasn't the animal I wanted it to be. I decided to face my problem head-on.
Maybe I need some rehab, Or maybe just need some sleep
I don't wear a lot of high heels.
I grew up in the Bible Belt and I made my own clothes and dyed my hair purple. Nobody ever knew what to do with me.
Rap in general has never been my steez, but I like it.
I understand I'm supposed to be feminine and dainty, but I'm not. There are two sides to the coin. People are more impressed with things that I do because they almost treat you as if you're handicapped if you're a woman... people can be impressed that I can play a few chords on the guitar.
I know that I can sing. That's the reason I started playing music when I was twelve years old.
It is so fascinating that someone can commit their whole entire lifestyle to being such a fantastic woman when I'm such a bum about it.
I get so high when you're with me then crash and crave you when you leave
I hope to bring much more attention to important issues and change for issues and practices that are harming animals.
Everything I write is based on something I've personally experienced, or things that my friends have experienced that I just find horribly entertaining.
Just because I'm sassy and have a mouth on me doesn't mean I'm coming from a negative place.
I played saxophone and trumpet. Pretty nerdy.
I like vintage a lot.
I do think I have a rebellious, metal-loving rock chick inside of me.