Through years of having to choose between letting her career fade and releasing new music via the label run by her alleged sexual abuser, it has seemed like Kesha would never be liberated from that meager set of options. After New York’s Judge Shirley Kornreich pretty much denied all agency beyond those choices to the musician, it appeared her battle to free her recording career from Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald’s Kemosabe imprint wouldn’t be won. Recently, Kesha had started guesting on other people’s tracks, and also announced her “Kesha and the Creepies” tour, at which she’d debut new music — but as for actual releases, her contract with Dr. Luke’s Sony-based label remained binding.
And so today there’s some news that’s both good but also not-so-good, in that it indicates that Kesha’s career may soon be rebooted, but also serves as a reminder of her consistent losses in this case: Rolling Stone reports that she’s developed 28 new tracks, but that, unsurprisingly, those tracks are going to Kemosabe, and that she’s “scaled back her legal actions against” Dr. Luke. Kesha has dropped her claims in California against the label head, which accused him of both sexual abuse and rape, and which have been on hold since June 2015.
Kesha is still seeking her appeals in the New York court, however. (The whole case had moved from LA to NY after Gottwald countersued for defamation in NY, whereafter Kesha counter-countersued — which apparently is still just called “countersuing” — in NY, according to RS, for “sexual assault, sexual harassment, and gender violence.”) There is still a claim — allegedly, the only claim — requesting the termination of her contract with the label.
Kesha wrote on Facebook:
My fight continues. I need to get my music out. I have so much to say. This lawsuit is so heavy on my once free spirit, and I can only pray to one day feel that happiness again. I am continuing to fight for my rights in New York. Thank you for all your support. The support of my fans has been so beautiful and I’m so grateful for it. I’m Not sure where I would be without you all.
Kesha’s lawyer, Daniel Petrocelli, likewise stressed to Rolling Stone that the musician wants to release new music as soon as she can; it’s been almost four years since she came out with her last album, Warrior. Meanwhile, Gottwald’s lawyer Christine Lepera said, “If Kesha is voluntarily dismissing her claims in the California case, it is because she has no chance of winning them,” asserting that the losses in NY were indicative that the results in CA would be similar; she called Kesha’s claims “false and meritless.”
According to the undisclosed source who spoke to RS, Kesha at this point just hopes the label will see that it’s in their mutual interest to put a halt to the halt on her career, and release a new album.