An overview of the Kesha and Dr. Luke controversy
The Wrap reported on Wed., March 9, 2016, that “knowledgeable sources” had disclosed that Sony was going to drop hit-making record producer, Dr. Luke. However, Dr. Luke’s lawyer has said that these reports are false.
“This is not true. Luke has an excellent relationship with Sony. His representatives are in regular contact with executives at the highest levels at Sony and this has never come up,” Christine Lepera, Dr. Luke’s lawyer, told the Los Angeles Times in a statement on March 9th.
The announcement came following the court case, where a judge struck down Kesha’s request to be released from a recording contract with Dr. Luke—whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald. The pop-singer filed a court-complaint that Dr. Luke had “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally” abused her, in order to “maintain complete control over her life and career.”
“This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract—it was never about getting a bigger, or a better deal,” Kesha wrote. “This is about being free from my abuser. I would be willing to work with Sony if they do the right thing and break all ties that bind me to my abuser.”
[pullquote align=”left” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]…a judge struck down Kesha’s request to be released from a recording contract…[/pullquote]
Throughout the court complaint there are detailed reports of rape, assault, and abuse since Kesha was persuaded by Dr. Luke to leave her hometown of Nashville, Tennessee at age 18 to pursue “fame and fortune.” The court-complaint stated that Kesha had not been credited, nor financially compensated for her vocals on the Flo Rida hit “Right Round.” However, Gottswald has denied all accusations.
Christina Leperea, Dr. Luke’s lawyer has called the singer’s accusations “outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money.”
“Kesha and her counsel have cavalierly subjected Dr. Luke and his family to trial by Twitter, using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation for financial gain while failing to support their claims,” she continued.
Record producer Dr. Luke took to Twitter to defend himself. “Until now I haven’t commented on the lawsuits, which should be resolved in court, not here on Twitter,” Gottwald said in a series of tweets.
“It’s a shame that there’s so much speculation out there basing itself on so little information,” he added, before tweeting: “I didn’t rape Kesha and I have never had sex with her. Kesha and I were friends for many years, and she was like my little sister.
In addition to the tweets, Gottwald posted numerous screenshots of articles from TMZ and the New York Daily News in which Kesha’s testimony in 2011 where she denied rape were published.
Many artists including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Lena Dunham, Ariana Grande, Lorde, Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato, and Jack Antonoff have voiced their support for Kesha. Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to Kesha in support following the court ruling.
Kesha encourages those who survived abuse to not be afraid about speaking out. “Unfortunately I don’t think that my case is giving people who have been abused confidence that they can speak out, and that’s a problem,” she wrote.
“But I just want to say that if you have been abused, please don’t be afraid to speak out. There are places that will make you feel safe. There are people who will help you. I, for one, will stand beside you and behind you. I know now how this all feels and will forever fight for you the way perfect strangers have been fighting for me.