Kesha Rose Sebert, better known mononymously as Kesha (stylized as Ke$ha), is an American recording artist. Her breakthrough came in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single Right Round. Her debut single, TiK ToK, was released in August 2009, it reached number one in four countries and set the female weekly download record in the US. Her debut album, Animal, will be released in early 2010.
Kesha gained exposure in the mainstream media in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, Right Round. The collaboration came about when Kesha was hanging out in studio with Flo Rida and Dr. Luke, who was producing the song; Flo Rida decided that the song needed a female voice and Kesha was then suggested for the part by Dr. Luke. Flo Rida liked the end result so much that they did two more songs. She is not credited for Right Round and did not collect any money for the part; she also refused to appear in the video because she wanted to become a legitimate artist in her own right.
Soon after, it was announced that Kesha had signed with RCA Records through Dr. Luke, after being sought after by many major labels, and was working on her debut album. On March 27, 2009, she appeared onstage alongside 3OH!3 at a concert at Avalon Hollywood to perform their duet, My First Kiss. She later made her official stage debut at that year's Lollapalooza as part of the BMI Stage. Her debut single, Tik Tok, had been released digitally in the US in early August, but was only sent to radio in October. By then, Kesha had co-written the title song for Miley Cyrus' The Time of Our Lives EP, made appearances on Pitbull and Taio Cruz's albums and appeared on the cover on Women's Wear Daily.
A number one placing in New Zealand for TiK ToK gave Kesha her first number one, this was followed by number one positions in both Canada and Australia. It later reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 as well, the first number one of the decade, and reached the top five in many other countries. For its second week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, TiK ToK set the female download record and became the second best-selling single in a week, after Right Round, for shifting 610,000 copies.
Kesha later supported Calvin Harris on tour in the UK and toured with Mickey Avalon in the US. She also performed at Madison Square Garden on December 11, 2009 for the Z100 Jingle Ball. She has been announced as one of the acts for the 2010 revival of Lilith Fair. Her debut album is called Animal and is due to be released on January 5, 2010 in the US.
She has expressed interest in releasing a country music album in the future because of her love for the genre. Kesha's songwriting is rooted in her life experiences and influenced by the storytelling style country music. She has expressed frustration at the double standard for the objectification of women in songs; in her song Boots and Boys, she makes it a point to sing the same way men traditionally sang about women.
Kesha described her dress sense as "garbage-chic" to Entertainment Weekly and named Keith Richards as her fashion inspiration. Paul Lester of The Guardian called her "the degenerate Hannah Montana" and stated that "her whole shtick appears to be predicated on the idea that she's a rebel in American Apparel." He also compared her music to "chav pop", "trailer trashy to the max – only it's so full-on it's almost like some postmodern arthouse joke." On the dollar sign in her stage name, Kesha states that she was being ironic in that she does not believe in placing an emphasis on earning money. It came about after her Flo Rida collaboration achieved success worldwide and yet she did not receive any money to show for it.
Threats:
Lady Gaga, Katy Perry
View everything Ke$ha: HERE
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