Confused by the hashtag #FreeKesha that keeps popping up in your Twitter feed today? Don’t worry; TheWrap is here to help answer your questions.
Who is Kesha? For the wholly uninitiated, Kesha is Kesha Rose Sebert, a musician known for songs such as “Tik Tok”” and “Die Young.”
What does Twitter say she should be freed from? Her record contract. In 2014, Kesha sued her producer, Dr. Luke, claiming that he had sexually and emotionally abused her. In 2015, she added Sony Music Entertainment to her complaint, claiming that Sony “had knowledge of Dr. Luke treating female entertainers under his tutelage and supervision in the same manner as alleged here regarding Ms. Sebert, which includes both physical and emotional abuse.” According to Kesha, Sony put female artists “in physical danger” by giving the producer full creative business control over young female artists “who necessarily were compelled to become dependent upon his goodwill.”
Kesha asked the court for an injunction allowing her to record music outside of her contract and away from her alleged abuser.
Did the #FreeKesha movement work? Unfortunately for Kesha, no. While social media — and a gaggle of fans outside the courthouse — gave their support to the singer, a judge denied her request for an injunction allowing her out of her contract on Friday. According to TMZ, the judge opined that Kesha could record under her Sony contract with another producer.
So what’s next? The court has yet to decide on the abuse allegations against Dr. Luke.