Scandals are rocking the entertainment industry all the time, whether they are focused on celebrities’ cheating tendencies, domestic conflict, drug habits - there’s always something going on. The latest feud, though, focuses on pop star ‘Ke$ha’ as she attempts to free herself from a contract with her producer, Dr. Luke, under allegations that he assaulted, abused and raped her.
Kesha Rose Sebert has worked with Dr. Luke and Kemosabe Records, which operate under Sony Entertainment on both of her hit albums. Problems between the two began gaining publicity in late 2013 when she was admitted to a rehabilitation center for an eating disorder which Kesha’s mother stated was due to Dr. Luke’s coercion in hopes of Kesha becoming thinner.
The musician fell off the radar for a little while, but in October 2014, she brought up a court case against Dr. Luke, claiming he’d "sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally abused Ms. Sebert to the point where Ms. Sebert nearly lost her life," according to the details of her official suit.
"Ms. Sebert wholly believed that Dr. Luke had the power and money to carry out his threats [of controlling her life and career]; she therefore never dared talk about, let alone report, what Dr. Luke had done to her,” the suit continued.
In response to these claims, Dr. Luke countersued, and the conflict has been ongoing with no current results yielded that can indicate who is guilty party. Recently, the hashtag ‘#FreeKesha’ has gained popularity due to a judge’s denial of Kesha’s request to continue making music while the legal battle to convict her alleged rapist moves forward.
Kesha was unable to produce new music for a detrimental amount of time as an artist, and in response to the case gaining infamy nationwide, numerous stars have given their public support to her. Taylor Swift recently donated $250k to cover legal fees and support the star in her time of need.
Controversy has been sparked within the general public as details are sought to point to who is correct; however, after the judge’s denial of her injunction, a disregard for the case by Sony - who has had issues with its stars like Michael Jackson in the past - and Dr. Luke’s attempts to tarnish Kesha’s image in response, the main conflict may lie in that of rape culture.
Any statistics will show that the legal system has been neither kind nor helpful to victims of sexual assault in the past, and neither has the public. After acclaimed pop artist Lady Gaga came out with her own story of abuse, a large backlash claiming she had fabricated the details arose within the ranks of her listeners, and it seems something similar is happening to Kesha. At this point, Kesha Sebert can only wait while the lengthy and complicated workings of her court case are resolved.
