{"id":172949,"date":"2025-12-07T21:40:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:40:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/172949\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T21:40:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T21:40:10","slug":"kesha-tik-tok-interview-that-was-just-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/172949\/","title":{"rendered":"Kesha ‘Tik Tok’ Interview: ‘That Was Just Me!’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tFifteen years after Animal and Cannibal<\/a>, Kesha<\/a> is finally feeling glittery again. Now that her long legal battle with producer Dr. Luke<\/a> is over<\/a>, she\u2019s ready to reembrace her career breakthrough, which she just celebrated with Animal + Cannibal 15th Anniversary, a deluxe reissue with bonus tracks. In a recent episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, she took an in-depth look back at that time. To hear the whole episode, go here<\/a> for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts<\/a> or Spotify<\/a>, or just press play above. A condensed version of that conversation follows.<\/p>\n

\n\tGood to see you. You\u2019ve been well?
I\u2019ve been insane. But in the best of ways. I was thinking about this yesterday \u2014 for 10 years it was really not fun at all. It was so heavy. I had the life sucked out of me. And then when I got this insane call<\/a> that I was gonna be free in three months\u2019 time, it was like being in a movie. It was such an insane phone call to get. And from that moment onward, I\u2019ve just been on 11. So it\u2019s crazy, but I\u2019m good and I feel very alive.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo the call was telling you that you were free of your old record contract. But unpack \u201con 11\u201d for me.
Literally the second I got that call, I looked around and was like, \u201cAnything that does not make me feel free has to go.\u201d So I called the guy I was dating and very lovingly was like, this is not it [laughs]. I went to the woods, I started meditating heavily. It\u2019s been this obsession for me to try to see what makes me feel free and what doesn\u2019t, including the stuff in my house. I don\u2019t wanna be beholden to a genre of music. Being blond to be a pop star \u2014 it was frying my hair. That doesn\u2019t make me feel free. I\u2019m gonna have fucking roots, goddammit. Anything that I feel beholden to, even subconsciously that I\u2019m maybe not even aware of, I\u2019ve started really trying to analyze what feels good and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n

\n\tSo that sounds intense and transformative.
Totally, and a little insane. I\u2019ve been writing so many songs. I feel like I\u2019m making up for a lot of lost time. I feel like I wanna heal as quickly as possible. It\u2019s impossible to go through what I went through and just be like, \u201cThat didn\u2019t affect me at all, I\u2019m totally unscathed and completely fine.\u201d So I\u2019m trying to really heal. And I\u2019m doing that in front of the whole world. I\u2019ve kind of done everything in my life in front of the whole world. So I know it\u2019s probably messy at times and there\u2019s a lot of emotions, but I hope that people can just see that I\u2019m trying to be an example. \u2018Cause I know I\u2019m not the only person out there that\u2019s gone through something hard.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you talk about stylistically liberating yourself, I feel like you\u2019ve already done that to an extent.
Well, stylistically, musically \u2014 me too.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo what does it mean to do that further?
I made an album with Rick Rubin that was so spiritual and meaningful. At the time, it was so different for me, and I felt like, \u201cAre people gonna like this?\u201d I don\u2019t think certain people were happy I made that record. It was not a pop-banger record. So there was this people-pleasing of like, \u201cOh, is that all right if I\u2019m doing this?\u201d I can\u2019t wait to just explore. The people-pleasing piece has been something I\u2019ve really been looking at with my freedom \u2014 how that has affected my life and my music. I really want to get completely limitless in terms of the sonics, like, what is possible sonically.\u2026\u00a0Since I was young, it was like, \u201cThis is how long a song should be.\u2026 Make the bridge iconic and make sure people like it.\u201d And now, I\u2019m kind of like, \u201cMake sure I like it.\u201d What if I make sure people hate it? I don\u2019t know. I just wanna see what is possible.\u2026 I might just continue making pop songs \u2019cause I love pop songs, but I just wanna feel so fucking free.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat\u2019s a great place to be. And it\u2019s an interesting moment to be looking back at the beginning.
I\u2019m really excited to talk about the beginning of all of this, and I didn\u2019t [used to] feel that way. I felt really torn about how to interact with the first couple of albums I put out for a really long time. It was just a really confusing thing to think back about because it was publicly so big. It was my dreams coming true. I\u2019m so grateful. And it was also extremely difficult personally, and very toxic. Some of the nihilism, which I was kind of feeling today, which is why I put glitter on \u2014 the nihilism I think came from also not being treated very kindly.<\/p>\n

\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you\u2019re kind of a punk rocker \u2026\u00a0I found all my punk friends, we would get fucked up and get tattoos and put crazy makeup on and wear studded jackets. But we were all super sensitive, sweet misfit people that just wanted a place to belong and feel loved and safe, and a place to be ourselves. I think a lot of that shithead, brat energy was actually just like, \u201cIf you don\u2019t love me, fuck you. So I\u2019m gonna make myself look crazier and be extra intense about it.\u201d But I think that was a lot of feeling of just not belonging and not feeling very loved and not feeling very cared for. And that\u2019s why I love my Animals. \u2018Cause those are my fucking people. My Animals, they get me, they see me, I get them, I see them. They\u2019re my people.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat do you remember about the writing and recording of \u201cTik Tok\u201d that you can share?
I remember that I was very happy to make music with Benny Blanco. We were both little shitheads. I really enjoyed working with Benny, and we would have a really good time. It was really interesting how the stupider the lyrics got and just the more playful and the less seriously I took it and the less I would think about it \u2014 the more it was just, like, you don\u2019t use your brain at all. Like zero. The craziest experience was I kept being like, \u201cIt\u2019s just too stupid.\u201d But then I would listen back and be like, \u201cHuh, no, it\u2019s really fun.\u201d So it kind of got me into a bit of a pickle because the biggest song and the first song is what made everyone think that I didn\u2019t use my brain. But for that song, it really served the purpose of trying to make people have a really good time. It really worked.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt fits into the rock & roll tradition, even though it\u2019s pop music, of a really smart person making deliberately dumb writing, deliberately dumb lyrics. There\u2019s a long tradition of that.
Totally. I had to really separate myself from what people thought about me and how I respect myself, because they started becoming intertwined and I started being like, \u201cAm I just really stupid?\u201d And so that had to stop, because I still get \u201cDo you brush your teeth with a bottle of Jack?\u201d Do you know how old that song is? At this point, I don\u2019t care. Bring it on. But there was a period of time where I was like, \u201cMaybe they think I\u2019m a functioning alcoholic that literally brushes my teeth with hard alcohol.\u201d But, like, did you guys really think that?<\/p>\n

\n\tDid you write those lyrics?
Yeah. But I was having a fun time. I was being a crazy little bitch, like, every day. But you guys thought I did it every day. That\u2019s not great.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt is, for the historical record, something that you have done at least a couple of times in your life.
OK, so one time I did wake up in a bathtub in Vegas. And [a bottle of Jack was] all there was. And I was, like, it\u2019s probably better than nothing. And then that\u2019s where the lyric came from. So, fine. Maybe I deserve it. I see your point. Touch\u00e9 [laughs].<\/p>\n

\n\tI mean, that\u2019s also a thing, right? A song encapsulates a millisecond in a life. But then if it becomes iconic, then part of you is always gonna be crystallized in that little moment.
I\u2019m so grateful for that silly fucking little song. \u2018Cause think of how much dopamine \u2014 I\u2019m the dopamine doula to the drunk people on the dance floor. Let that sink in.<\/p>\n

\n\tI think you said you rerecorded the lyric about \u201cfeeling like P. Diddy,\u201d right?
I am not allowed to release it yet. We\u2019re counting down the days. But at my shows, just so everybody knows, the lyrics have officially changed to \u201cWake up in the morning like, \u2018Fuck P. Diddy.’\u201d And that stands for all that I can\u2019t say.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou once told me that the persona on that early music was your actual personality multiplied by six or by 10 or something. Do you remember the earliest formation of that persona, or which songs or which moments you were like, \u201cOK, this is the thing for persona\u201d?
I was like, \u201cI can sing so beautifully. I\u2019m singing my heart out on this other song.\u201d People are like, \u201cNo, I like it when you are white-girl rapping.\u201d And I was like, \u201cI don\u2019t know necessarily even how I feel about doing it, but if it\u2019s making you happy\u201d \u2014 it was a lot of kind of like, \u201cI really like to make people happy.\u00a0I love making people dance. I love making people happy for three and a half minutes.\u201d And that\u2019s just what people liked to listen to. I\u2019ve actually kind of wanted to study the psychology behind this because it\u2019s really interesting that a lot of times the songs I spend the least amount of time on and take the least seriously end up being the ones people like the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom the outside, it did seem like you were having fun.
I was having a really good time when I was with my friends, when I was with my fans, and making some of those songs. Recently, I\u2019ve had to kind of go back and reclaim all of those songs, even though I had almost, like, a resentment with the energy of some of them. I went back and really realized that was just me. I love that I was so playful, and I love that I just didn\u2019t give a fuck. And I love that I was so naive about having fun in front of the whole world. I fucking love that. What a fearless bad bitch. I have so much love for her. She had no idea how painful that was gonna be, to be so imperfect in front of the whole world. But what a badass motherfucker. I\u2019m so proud of myself.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith Cannibal, it\u2019s amazing it\u2019s so good because it was recorded in, like, two weeks, right?
You don\u2019t even know! That was in the era of pop stars where they loved to compare inches of our body to each other and tear you to shit and follow you \u2014 it was the craziest era. And I remember being on tour, and I never thought I was exceptionally hot, but I didn\u2019t loathe myself in the way that a bad picture could make you. Especially a bad picture on the cover of a magazine.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo then I\u2019m on tour being silly and having fun and I have a cowbell and we\u2019re having a good time, everything\u2019s cool. And then that started happening. I was like, \u201cWhoa. I should hate myself. I think I need to hate myself because, whoa.\u201d And then I was like, \u201cI think I need to break my leg. I think I need to break my leg to stop touring for a minute.\u201d \u2018Cause it was just so crazy and I didn\u2019t know how to handle it. And I remember turning to my mom \u2014 I wanted the tour to stop, and I was like, \u201cMom, you might have to break my leg.\u201d And she was like, \u201cNo, you just need to sleep.\u201d And I was like, \u201cAll right.\u201d And she was right. So she didn\u2019t break my leg, but I only had two weeks to write and record my second album.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo you do consider it your second album, not an EP or anything?
I do, yeah. If we wanna go contractually in the world of contracts and people that weren\u2019t telling me things because it didn\u2019t serve things legally in the universe \u2014 whatever it was. It was most definitely my second fucking album.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe one production thing that I think got under your skin is the Auto-Tune stuff. Which made you worried that people would think you couldn\u2019t sing.
Yes. Which is similar to the stupid thing, right? Like we talked about feeling stupid because my first song was so stupid. I don\u2019t mind being stupid as fuck for a whole night, sometimes a whole weekend. Happy to get stupid. And happy to use Auto-Tune. I think it was more the lack of control I had with [creating] a more holistic view of who I was and fearing becoming a caricature of one small aspect of myself that I actually really enjoy. And I love her, and she\u2019s the most fun. But that\u2019s not all of who I am. And I kind of pride myself in being smart and being able to sing. Those are two things I pride myself in in my life.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd for the whole world to think I couldn\u2019t sing and I was stupid \u2014 that was hard for me. And I think maybe I shouldn\u2019t have given as much of a fuck as I did, but it\u2019s the whole world. And it\u2019s my whole life. And so that was hard for me, and I just had to let time go on and let my integrity and my choices and my creativity speak for itself. But it did take a while for me to finally feel like people are starting to see me holistically. But, you know, it is what it is.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso there were really hard moments in this period of time. And then there were the most fun, the most iconic, the most hilarious. I had a food fight backstage at Rock in Rio and I hit, I think, one of the band members from Guns N\u2019 Roses in the eye with a piece of broccoli.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhich one?
I don\u2019t remember. \u2018Cause I was throwing it at my friend and she ducked and then it hit him in the face. I think I just scooted.\u00a0I have \u201cfun\u201d tattooed on my foot from my birthday party \u2019cause I was having so much fun. I had a lot of fun. And I think that\u2019s part of why it makes me emotional talking about these songs \u2014 because there was so much magic and naive, youthful hope. And opportunity and excitement. And, holy shit, who gets to experience that in their life? I\u2019m so lucky. And then there were, sprinkled in, really difficult moments and situations that I really couldn\u2019t talk about.<\/p>\n

\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd so it\u2019s very polarizing emotionally to know how to look at a period of time when it\u2019s two very drastically different emotions. But I think the thing about life is both things can be felt in that time, and I felt both of those emotions, and I still can look back at this period of time and be extremely grateful \u2019cause it made me who I am.<\/p>\n

\n\tAny closing thoughts?
I\u2019m just really grateful. I\u2019m really grateful at a really insane time. And I\u2019m grateful for everybody who\u2019s been with me ever since. And I feel like we just got to the really good part, so stay tuned.<\/p>\n

\n\tDownload and subscribe to\u00a0Rolling Stone\u2019s weekly podcast Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts<\/a> or Spotify<\/a>, or go here<\/a> for the podcast provider of your choice. Check out nine years\u2019 worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with artists including Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Questlove, Halsey, Missy Elliott, Dua Lipa, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Brian May, Roger Taylor, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone\u2019s critics and reporters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fifteen years after Animal and Cannibal, Kesha is finally feeling glittery again. Now that her long legal battle…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":172950,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[102138,102139,146,85,46,10123,409],"class_list":{"0":"post-172949","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-cannibal","9":"tag-dr-luke","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-il","12":"tag-israel","13":"tag-kesha","14":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=172949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/172949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/172950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=172949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=172949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=172949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}