Kesha Discusses Her New Album & Why She Lost The $ On Let’s Be Real

17-year-old Sammy Jaye is the youngest person to host her own podcast, Let’s Be Real, and on this episode, she’s very excited to interview singer/songwriter/pop star Kesha. Sammy was already thrilled to have Kesha as a guest because she’s a huge fan, but over the course of the interview, she discovers that they “are soul sisters” with quite a lot in common. They discuss Kesha’s new album,The High Road, her vulnerability on her last album, Rainbow, what they think of cancel culture, why Kesha lost the $ in her name, her new makeup line, Kesha Rose Beauty, how she rebelled against her parents as a teenager, and much more in this frank and funny conversation.

The new album has a little bit of everything, representing all sides of her personality, Kesha says. “I wanted to truly f**k around,” instead of sticking to one mood or genre of music. That led to some legendary collaborations, including a song with Big Freedia, as well as Sturgill Simpson (“Dream come true,” Kesha says) and Brian Wilson (“For him to even know that I exist on the planet Earth is insane”). She even “collaborates” with herself, on the song “Kinky (feat. Ke$ha).” Sammy asks why Kesha lost the dollar sign, and Kesha says she used to “take the piss” a lot; even her Twitter handle was KeshaSux “so I could beat them to the punchline,” she laughs. But, she decided, “I wanted to respect myself as an artist more,” and thought that the way she presented herself led people to take her less seriously as a musician. But that side of her personality is still very real, she says, so the “collaboration” was a nice way to keep being authentic about who she is. 

They get into Kesha’s background in music, as well. Though she didn’t always know she would become a pop star, she did grow up in studios, thanks to her singer-songwriter mother, who wrote songs for Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, among others. Kesha remembers walking around the studio singing, “and people would say, ‘tell that kid to shut the f**k up!’” she laughs. Sammy loves it; “You were studying it and you didn’t even know it!” she exclaims. They also discuss her new makeup line, which Kesha touts as 100% cruelty-free and “super pigmented,” how she deals with her haters online (“I just get stoned and laugh about it”), and even talk about what she wants her tombstone to say (“it should probably just say: Party On,” Kesha decides). Hear more about Kesha’s past, present, and future on this episode of Let’s Be Real. 

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