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Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987)is an American pop singer, rapper and songwriter. At age eighteen, Kesha was signed to Dr. Luke's record label and publishing company. Although an active musician since 2005, singing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, her breakthrough only came in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round." Her debut single, "Tik Tok", released in late 2009, reached number one in eleven countries. Her debut album, Animal, was released in January 2010 and debuted at number one in the US. By March, Kesha had sold a million albums and eight million singles worldwide.
2005–09: Career beginnings
At age eighteen, Kesha was signed to Luke's label, Kemosabe Entertainment, and music publishing company, Prescription Songs. Six months after hosting Paris Hilton at her house, Luke gave Kesha the opportunity to sing background vocals for Hilton's single, "Nothing in This World". In 2006, Kesha signed with David Sonenberg's management company, DAS Communications Inc., hardly interacting with Luke after that. DAS was tasked with obtaining a major label record deal for her in a year’s time with her having the option of ending the relationship if they failed. She worked with several top writers and producers while at the company and credits the creation of her beat-driven sound to a co-writing session with Greg Wells. She also co-wrote The Veronicas' single, "This Love" with Toby Gad.
While her songs were used on television programs, Kesha moonlighted as a waitress and a telemarketer to make ends meet. Two years after arriving in Los Angeles, she decided that she wanted Prince to produce her music and located his home. After she trespassed and was discovered, she was thrown out, but not before she left her demo with him. She sang background vocals for Britney Spears' song "Lace and Leather" and appeared in the video for Katy Perry's single, "I Kissed a Girl" in 2008. DAS soon attracted the attention of Kara DioGuardi, who wanted to sign her to Warner. The deal fell through due to conflicts with Kesha's existing contract with Dr. Luke's label. She terminated her contract with DAS in September and reunited with Luke.
Kesha gained exposure in the mainstream media in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round." The collaboration was called "an accident" by Kesha; she had walked into a recording session with Flo Rida and Luke. Flo Rida wanted a female voice for the song; Luke then suggested Kesha for the part. Flo Rida liked the end result so much that they did two more tracks. However, she is not credited for her feature on the US release of "Right Round" and did not collect any money for the part. She also refused to appear in the video; she explained in an interview that, "if you want to be a legitimate artist, it’s more important what you say no to. I knew he would want me to be some sexpot, shake my booty, and whatever."
Soon after, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA through Luke's imprint, after being sought after by Lava Records and Flo Rida's record label, Atlantic Records as well. RCA had noticed her strong following on social media when negotiating her contract and thus relied on viral marketing to build a following for her debut single, "Tik Tok", offering the song as a free stream on MySpace in July. It was released digitally in the US in August and sent to radio two months later.She made her official stage debut at Lollapalooza and graced the cover of Women's Wear Daily in the same month as the single's release. By then, Kesha had also co-written the title track for Miley Cyrus' The Time of Our Lives EP and made an appearance on Pitbull's album.
2010: Animal
Kesha's debut album, Animal, was released in January to mixed reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone summed the album up as "repulsive, obnoxious and ridiculously catchy." It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 while setting the record for the largest weekly digital percentage share for an album at number one. Album track "Blah Blah Blah" debuted in the top ten in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the same week as the album due to strong digital sales The lead single, "Tik Tok", had already topped the charts in eleven countries and set numerous records in the US. By March, Animal had sold a million copies worldwide with its songs racking up a further eight million downloads as well.
Kesha was featured on two top ten singles by Taio Cruz and 3OH!3 in May. Both opportunities came through recommendations by Dr. Luke. Later that month, Kesha's former managers from DAS filed a lawsuit, seeking $14 million from Kesha and $12 million from Luke for commissions on her RCA Records deal, alleging that she squeezed them out of her career under pressure from Luke.
Kesha held a benefit concert on June 16, 2010 where all proceeds went to aid victims of the May 2010 Tennessee floods from her hometown Nashville. She raised close to $70,000 from the event. She also donated 1,000 pounds of dog food to a local animal shelter for pets abandoned in the flood. In August, Kesha was named brand ambassador for Casio. She was a supporting act on the summer North American leg of Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour. Spin called her "fantastically obnoxious" in her opening set in Vancouver, Canada.
Image and artistry
Kesha has been noted for her party girl image, however, she insists that critics should look past her image, saying "I have been working on realizing this dream, my path, my mission, for years. I’ve really invested a lot of thought, time and effort into it. The last thing that makes me is a victim [of celebrity culture]. I think it’s a bummer when people don’t represent that properly, when they portray me as purely one-dimensional." She has said that the dollar sign in her stage name was meant to be ironic, in that she "actually [stood] for the opposite of putting a lot of emphasis on money."Her styling comprises messy hair, smudged makeup and a wardrobe she describes as "garbage-chic". The look developed from her being poor and trying to brand herself as best she could on a budget. She has named Keith Richards as her fashion inspiration. Her stage makeup is characterized by dramatic makeup at her right eye, inspired by A Clockwork Orange, and body glitter.Kesha came in at number fifty-six on Maxim's 2010 Hot 100 "definitive list of the world’s most beautiful women".
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