Why Dr. Luke’s Career Is In Trouble (But Kesha’s Isn't)
Kesha’s court hearing last week, during which she was denied the chance to be released from her contract with Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald, was an indisputable loss for the singer. Sobbing in the courtroom on Friday morning (Feb. 19), Kesha had to hear her claims of sexual and emotional abuse more or less dismissed with gross flippancy, and remained tethered to the producer who alleged raped her. Kesha asked for prayers from her fans for Friday’s hearing, and at the mercy of a single judge, those prayers were not heard.
But something interesting happened on Friday, beginning with a fan-organized protest outside of a New York courthouse on a chilly morning. What started as a few dozen diehards morphed into thousands of voices on social media. The hashtag #FreeKesha trended worldwide; and public support came in from a wide-ranging list of artists, from Lady Gaga to Wale to Lorde.
21m
30s
20m
22m
9m
2m
21m
20m
21m
20m
13m
20m
21m
41s
20m
45m
20m
2m
20m
22m
21m
56m
8m
17m
1m
9m
2m
1m
1h 21m
1h 34m
22m
20m
26m
1m
1m
6m
8m
44m
21m
21m
20m
57s
48s
59s
21m
20m
1m
1m
1m
6m
30s
2m
1m
45s
1h 25m
57m
20m
20m
41m
1h 14m
1h 35m
29s
2m
29s
1m
21m
41m
3m
3m
3m
1m
50m
3m
4m
1m
10m
51s
1m
21m
14m
6m
1m
1m
2m
1m
7m
6m
12m
1m
2m
45m
41m
1m
1m
1m
24m
22m
22m