Kesha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kesha
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Kesha at the 2019 American Music Awards
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Kesha Rose Sebert
March 1, 1987 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Other names | Ke$ha |
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| Years active | 2005–present |
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| Awards | Full list |
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Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), known simply as Kesha, is an American singer and songwriter. She signed with Kemosabe Records in 2005 when she was 18. Her first big break came in 2009. She was featured on rapper Flo Rida's hit song "Right Round".
Kesha quickly became very popular with her unique music and style. She has had two albums reach number one on the US Billboard 200 chart: Animal (2010) and Rainbow (2017). Other albums like Warrior (2012) and High Road (2020) also made it into the top ten. Kesha has had ten songs in the top ten of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. These include "Tik Tok", "Blah Blah Blah", "Take It Off", "Blow", "Die Young", and "We R Who We R". Her 2009 song "Tik Tok" was one of the best-selling digital singles ever. It sold over 14 million copies worldwide.
Kesha's career slowed down between her albums Warrior and Rainbow. This was due to a legal disagreement with her former producer, Dr. Luke, which started in 2014. She released her fifth album, Gag Order (2023), completing her contract. In 2024, she released her first independent song, "Joyride", under her own label, Kesha Records. Her sixth album is planned for July 4, 2025.
Kesha has sold over 100 million records globally. This includes 87 million tracks and streams by 2017. She was also listed as a top artist of the 2010s by Billboard. She has won several awards, including the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act in 2010. Kesha has also written songs for other famous artists. These include "Till the World Ends" (2011) for Britney Spears. She also wrote for Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Miranda Cosgrove.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Beginnings
Kesha Rose Sebert was born in Los Angeles on March 1, 1987. Her mother, Pebe Sebert, is a singer and songwriter. She co-wrote the song "Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You". This song was made famous by Dolly Parton. Kesha's mother raised her and her older brother, Lagan, by herself. They sometimes faced financial challenges. When Kesha was a baby, her mother would often take her onstage during performances. Kesha does not know who her father is.
The family moved to Nashville in 1991. Kesha's mother got a new songwriting deal there. She often took Kesha and her brothers to recording studios. She encouraged Kesha to sing because she saw her talent. Kesha went to Franklin High School and Brentwood High School. She felt she did not fit in because of her unique style. She played the trumpet and saxophone in the marching band. Kesha was a good student. She scored very well on her SAT test. She attended Barnard College but left after three months to focus on music.
Kesha learned to write songs from her mother. They often wrote songs together after school. Kesha started recording demo songs. Her mother shared these with people in the music business. Kesha also had a band with her brother. At 16, Kesha and her mother co-wrote the song "Stephen". She then found producer David Gamson, who agreed to produce the song. At 17, Kesha left school after Max Martin convinced her to move back to Los Angeles for her music career. She later earned her GED. In 2005, Kesha's family appeared on the reality TV show The Simple Life.
Kesha's Music Career Journey
Starting Out: 2005–2009
In 2005, at 18, Kesha signed with Kemosabe Records. This label is part of Sony Music Entertainment. She also signed with Prescription Songs, a music publishing company. Other artists like Zara Larsson have also signed with Kemosabe Records. Kesha sang background vocals for Paris Hilton's song "Nothing in This World". In 2006, she signed with DAS Communications Inc., a management company. She worked with many writers and producers. She co-wrote "This Love" for the group The Veronicas. While working on her music, Kesha also worked as a waitress. During this time, she started spelling her name 'Ke$ha' as a joke about her financial struggles.
In 2008, Kesha appeared in the music video for Katy Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl". She also sang background vocals for Britney Spears' "Lace and Leather". She later appeared on Flo Rida's number-one song "Right Round" in 2009. This helped her gain attention. She was not credited on the US release of "Right Round" and did not get paid for it. She also chose not to appear in the music video. She told Esquire that she wanted to become famous on her own terms.
Rise to Fame: 2009–2011
After some negotiations, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records in 2009. She had spent six years working on songs for her first album. She had written about 200 songs for it. Her debut album, Animal, was released in 2010. It sold two million copies worldwide by September of that year. The first song from the album, "Tik Tok", broke sales records in the US. It sold 610,000 digital downloads in one week. This was the highest ever for a female artist at the time. The song stayed at number one for nine weeks. By 2019, "Tik Tok" had sold about 14 million copies worldwide. It became one of the best-selling digital singles in history. Other songs from Animal, like "Blah Blah Blah" and "Take It Off", also did very well. They reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, and the US.
Kesha's unique and playful style made her a talked-about artist. In May 2010, her former managers sued her for money. Kesha then filed her own lawsuit in October. The case was settled in 2012. On June 16, 2010, Kesha held a concert to help victims of the 2010 Tennessee floods in Nashville. She raised almost $70,000. She opened for Rihanna's tour in North America. She won Best New Act at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards.
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In November 2010, Animal was re-released with an extra collection of songs called Cannibal. The first song from this, "We R Who We R", debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. With two number-one songs and four top-ten hits, Billboard magazine named Kesha the Hot 100 Artist of 2010. "Tik Tok" was named the best-performing song of the year in the US. Another song, "Blow", also reached the top ten. By June 2011, Kesha had sold almost 21 million digital songs in the US. In February 2011, Kesha started her first world tour, the Get Sleazy Tour. It was very popular and had extra dates. Kesha also co-wrote "Till the World Ends" for Britney Spears. She was also featured on a remix of the song with Nicki Minaj. Rock singer Alice Cooper asked Kesha to write lyrics and sing on his song "What Baby Wants" for his album Welcome 2 My Nightmare (2011).
Kesha became the first global ambassador for Humane Society of the United States. She works to raise awareness about cosmetics testing on animals and shark finning. She received the Wyler Award in 2013 for her work. She also appeared in a campaign for PETA. She protested the hunting of baby seals in Canada.
Warrior and New Projects: 2012–2013
Kesha's second album, Warrior, came out on November 30, 2012. She started writing for it during her tour in 2011. The album included songs produced by Max Martin. It also featured a song with Wayne Coyne from the band The Flaming Lips. Kesha also released an illustrated book about her life, My Crazy Beautiful Life, in November 2012. The first song from Warrior was "Die Young". It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted well in other countries.
"C'Mon", the second song from the album, did not do as well commercially. It reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, it continued her streak of top ten hits on the Mainstream Top 40 Pop Songs chart. In July 2013, Kesha started the Warrior Tour to support the album. She toured North America with rapper Pitbull. Her third song from Warrior, "Crazy Kids", came out in April 2013. It reached number 40 on the Hot 100. A TV show called Kesha: My Crazy Beautiful Life also started airing on MTV in April 2013.
In July 2013, The Flaming Lips planned to release an album with Kesha called Lipsha. However, the project was canceled later that year. Kesha said it was out of her control. On October 7, 2013, Kesha and Pitbull released "Timber". This song became a huge international hit. It was Kesha's third number-one song and tenth top-ten song on the Billboard Hot 100.
Rainbow and Tours: 2016–2018
Kesha performed "True Colors" with Zedd at the 2016 Coachella music festival. This was her first big public performance since her legal disagreement with Dr. Luke. A studio version of the song was released on April 29, 2016. On May 22, 2016, Kesha sang Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards. She performed at Pride in the Street in Pittsburgh on June 11, 2016. After that, Kesha started her third world tour, the Kesha and the Creepies: the World Tour (2016–2017). The tour included covers of songs and rock versions of her own hits. During this time, it was shared that Kesha had recorded 22 new songs for her next album.
On July 6, 2017, Kesha released the song "Praying". It did very well in Australia, selling over 140,000 copies. It also charted in the US and Canada. "Praying" was the first song from Kesha's third album, Rainbow. The album was released on August 11, 2017. Rainbow debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Critics loved the album, praising its unique style and Kesha's singing. Three songs from Rainbow were released before the album: "Woman", "Learn to Let Go", and "Hymn". "Learn to Let Go" became the second song released from the album. Rainbow was nominated for two Grammys, which were Kesha's first nominations.
To promote Rainbow, Kesha went on the Rainbow Tour (2017–2019). She also toured with rapper Macklemore on The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore tour in 2018. Kesha's documentary film, Rainbow: The Film, came out on Apple Music on August 10, 2018. The film shows her time in treatment for an eating disorder and how she made the Rainbow album. In the same month, Kesha worked with the band The Struts on a remix of their song "Body Talks". On September 19, 2018, Kesha released "Here Comes the Change". This song was for the movie On the Basis of Sex (2018). In October 2018, Kesha worked with her younger brother Sage Sebert and rapper Chika on the song "Safe".
High Road and New Ventures: 2019–2022
In February 2019, Kesha hosted a 4-day cruise called Kesha's Weird and Wonderful Rainbow Ride. Guests included Jonathan Van Ness and Betty Who. On June 2, Kesha released the song "Rich, White, Straight Men". On July 25, she released "Best Day" for the movie The Angry Birds Movie 2. On November 7, Kesha announced her own makeup line, Kesha Rose Beauty. It was released on December 6.
High Road, Kesha's fourth album, was released on January 31, 2020. It received good reviews. Before its release, four songs were released: "Raising Hell" with Big Freedia, "My Own Dance", "Resentment", and "Tonight". Kesha planned the High Road Tour for 2020, but it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In February 2020, Kesha's 2010 song "Cannibal" became very popular on TikTok. It became a top 40 song in Canada. Kesha launched her podcast, Kesha and the Creepies, on November 13, 2020. The podcast explores supernatural topics with guests like Alice Cooper and Demi Lovato. The first episode came out on November 19, 2020.
She also released several collaborations in 2020 and 2021. These included "Chasing Rainbows" with Big Freedia and "Stronger" with DJ Sam Feldt. After her tour was canceled, Kesha started her fifth tour, Kesha Live (2021). It began on August 13, 2021.
In late August 2021, Kesha was an executive producer and starred in the podcast Electric Easy. It was a musical science fiction show about humans and robots. Kesha also starred in and produced the show Conjuring Kesha. It premiered on July 8, 2022, on Discovery+. In the show, Kesha and her guests explore places known for paranormal activity.
Gag Order and New Beginnings: 2023–Present
In February 2023, Kesha shared a preview of a new song on Instagram. On her 36th birthday, she updated her social media with a new logo. She also shared snippets of new songs like "Fine Line" and "Eat the Acid".
Kesha announced her album Gag Order on April 25, 2023. The album was released on May 19, 2023. Three songs were released from it: "Eat the Acid", "Fine Line", and "Only Love Can Save Us Now". Produced by Rick Rubin, this album showed a more open and honest side of Kesha. It focused on overcoming difficult experiences from her legal disagreement with Dr. Luke. To promote the album, Kesha started the Gag Order Tour, later renamed the Only Love Tour.
On December 18, 2023, it was reported that Kesha had left Kemosabe Records and RCA. Her contract had ended. She also parted ways with her management. In early 2024, Kesha taught a songwriting course called 'The Alchemy of Pop Music' at the Esalen Institute.
In February 2024, Kesha signed with Crush Management. On June 29, 2024, Kesha announced her new song, "Joyride". It was released on July 4 through her own label, Kesha Records. This was her first song released after leaving her previous labels. "Joyride" became her first song to chart in the UK Singles Chart since 2017. It also reached the top-ten on three charts in the United States. Kesha announced that her sixth album, Period, will be released on July 4, 2025.
Kesha's Musical Style and Inspirations
Musical Style and Image
Kesha wrote or co-wrote every song on her first two albums. She sees herself mainly as a songwriter. She has written for artists like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. Kesha has a strong singing voice with a unique, yodel-like sound. She uses actual yodeling in songs like "Tik Tok" and "Cannibal". She had a clear idea of the synth-pop sound she wanted for her first album. This style was popular at the time. Her first two albums have catchy tunes and electronic sounds.
Kesha's songs often tell stories. For example, "Dinosaur" is about an older man who likes younger women. Kesha says the song is based on true events. Her early songs used a lot of auto-tune, which made some people question her vocal talent. However, she showed her natural singing ability in ballads like "Animal" and "Hungover".
Her second album, Warrior, used less auto-tune. Songs like "Love Into The Light" and "Wonderland" showed off her vocal skills. Kesha also has a unique talking-singing style. Many of her lyrics are about relationships and having fun. Some critics found her music lighthearted. Jonah Weiner of Slate said her lyrics made her songs memorable. The song "Animal" is meant to inspire people to be themselves. Warrior was more experimental. It included dubstep sounds and explored Kesha's experiences with ghosts in the song "Supernatural". Kesha said the main theme of Warrior is magic.
Critics liked Warrior for its rock music influences. Rolling Stone magazine called it Kesha's rock statement. Rock stars like The Flaming Lips, Iggy Pop, and Alice Cooper have worked with Kesha. Cooper said he saw her as a rock singer, not just a pop star. The A.V. Club said Warrior proved Kesha was a skilled singer and songwriter. The Washington Post called the album "pure fun".
Influences
Kesha has been inspired by many types of music and artists. These include Madonna, Queen, the Rolling Stones, the Killers, Gwen Stefani, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Beck. Her singing style is influenced by the song "Tthhee Ppaarrttyy" by Justice. Her music often talks about escaping, partying, being unique, supernatural moments, rebellion, and sadness.
Kesha's musical influences also include hip hop, punk rock, glam rock, pop, dance music, and classic country. Her country influences, like Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash, come from her mother's songwriting. Her older brother introduced her to hip-hop and punk bands like Fugazi and the Beastie Boys. She says her direct, story-based lyrics come from her love for honest country music. She wanted her first album, Animal, to be a tribute to the Beastie Boys' album Licensed to Ill. She said "Tik Tok" was created because of her love for the Beastie Boys' rap music. For her first tour, Kesha wanted to have stage shows like Iggy Pop. She said Led Zeppelin and AC/DC inspired her second album, Warrior. This album included a collaboration with Iggy Pop himself.
She also gets ideas from classic movies. Her stage makeup often features dramatic glitter around her right eye. This was inspired by the movie A Clockwork Orange. Her Get Sleazy tour had a "post-apocalyptic Mad Max vibe".
Personal Life
Kesha is a vegetarian. She enjoys giving impromptu tattoos.
Health and Well-being
On January 3, 2014, Kesha went to a treatment center for an eating disorder. Her mother confirmed that Kesha was dealing with bulimia nervosa. Kesha completed her treatment on March 6, 2014, after two months.
Spiritual Beliefs
Kesha has shared her spiritual views. She sees God as "nature and space and energy and the universe." She believes everyone has their own way of understanding spirituality. What matters to her is having something greater than herself that brings her peace.
Discography
Studio albums
- Animal (2010)
- Warrior (2012)
- Rainbow (2017)
- High Road (2020)
- Gag Order (2023)
- Period (2025)
Filmography
- Bravo Supershow (2007)
- Final Flesh (2009)
- Walt Disney's Princess Ke$ha (2011)
- Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)
- Jem and the Holograms (2015)
- A Ghost Story (2017)
- Rainbow: The Film (2018)
Images for kids
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Kesha at the 2019 American Music Awards
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Kesha's signature
See also
In Spanish: Kesha para niños
- List of artists who reached number one in the United States
