The interwebs have been buzzing since Judge Shirley Werner Kornreich denied the preliminary injunction that would permit Kesha to record music without Dr. Luke, who currently holds a six-album contract over her. The pop star has also alleged that he drugged and raped her in a lawsuit she brought forth in 2014. In a new interview, Kesha’s mother Pebe Sebert details the struggle with Dr. Luke and Sony.
“She was a prisoner,” Sebert said to Billboard. “It was like someone who beats you every day and hangs you from a chain and then comes in and gives you a piece of bread. Luke would say, ‘You look nice today,’ and send her into hysterics of happiness because she was programmed to expect nothing but abuse.”
Kesha’s 2014 lawsuit described in detail how she was drugged and raped by the producer, as well as the psychological abuse that she endured. Reportedly, Dr. Luke was psycologically abusive towards Kesha from her early days in Los Angeles in 2015 and past her explosion into the industry with her hit song “Tik Tok” in 2010.
In September 2015, Kesha said in an affidavit released by her attorney Mark Geragos, “Dr. Luke has been tyrannical and abusive since our relationship began. I was too young and naive to even understand what he was doing to me.”
Unfortunately for Kesha, while she is a platinum selling artist, has not been able to release any music since her album, Warrior, came out in 2012. She was unable to release anything because she would not work on music with Dr. Luke and Sony due to the reported abuse the producer had inflicted on her. While Kesha is technically allowed to work with different producers, Dr. Luke and his Kemosabe label, have the final authority over her creative endeavors.
“Kesha’s allowed to work with another producer,” she further said. “But Luke gets to approve them. He gets to approve of anyone she works with. He has final say over everything.”
Yesterday a news story was released that said Sony was planning on dropping Dr. Luke following the Kesha lawsuit. It cited that the entertainment company will release him from his contract prior to it's expiration in 2017.
Representatives for Dr. Luke denied the claims made by The Wrap and released a statement that read, “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.”
