Full Name:Kesha Rose Sebert
Occupations:Singer,rapper,songwriter
Born:March 1, 1987
Years active: 2005
Origin:Nashville,Tennessee,United States
Genres:Electropop,dance-pop
Kesha is an American pop singer, rapper and songwriter. At age eighteen, Kesha was signed to Dr. Luke's record label and publishing company. Although an active musician since 2005, singing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, her breakthrough only came in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round." Her debut single, "Tik Tok", released in late 2009, reached number one in eleven countries. Her debut album, Animal, was released in January 2010 and debuted at number one in the US. By September, Kesha had sold two million albums worldwide.
Kesha was born in Los Angeles, California, to Pebe Sebert, a singer and songwriter. When Kesha was an infant, Pebe would often have to look after her onstage while performing. Kesha grew up without her father and does not know who he is. Pebe also taught Kesha how to write songs and they would often write together when she returned home from school.
The Seberts were featured in an episode of The Simple Life, as the host family to Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in 2005. Kesha described herself in an interview as being "very studious" in high school; she would drive to Belmont University to listen in on Cold War history classes after school and achieved "near perfect" SAT scores. However, she dropped out at age seventeen and earned her GED afterward. She left school after being convinced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin to return to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. They had received Kesha's demo after Pebe passed it to Samantha Cox, senior director of writer/publisher relations at BMI, and were impressed.
At age eighteen, Kesha was signed to Luke's label and music publishing company. Six months after hosting Paris Hilton at her house, Luke gave Kesha the opportunity to sing background vocals for Hilton's single, "Nothing in This World". In 2006, Kesha signed with David Sonenberg's management company, DAS Communications Inc., hardly interacting with Luke after that. DAS was tasked with obtaining a major label record deal for her in a year's time with her having the option of ending the relationship if they failed.
While her songs were used on television programs, Kesha moonlighted as a waitress and a telemarketer to make ends meet. DAS soon attracted the attention of Kara DioGuardi, who wanted to sign Kesha to Warner. The deal fell through due to conflicts with her existing contract with Dr. Luke's label. She terminated her contract with DAS in September and reunited with Luke.
Kesha gained exposure in the mainstream media in early 2009 after appearing on Flo Rida's number one single, "Right Round." The collaboration was called "an accident" by Kesha; she had walked into a recording session with Flo Rida and Luke. Flo Rida wanted a female voice for the song; Luke then suggested Kesha for the part. Flo Rida liked the end result so much that they did two more tracks. However, she is not credited for her feature on the US release of "Right Round" and did not collect any money for the part. She also refused to appear in the video; she explained in an interview that, "if you want to be a legitimate artist, it's more important what you say no to. I knew he would want me to be some sexpot, shake my booty, and whatever.
Soon after, Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA through Luke's imprint, after being sought after by Lava Records and Flo Rida's record label, Atlantic Records as well. She made her official stage debut at Lollapalooza and graced the cover of Women's Wear Daily in the same month as the single's release. By then, Kesha had also co-written the title track for Miley Cyrus' The Time of Our Lives EP and made an appearance on Pitbull's album.
Kesha's debut album, Animal, was released in January to mixed reviews from music critics. Rolling Stone summed the album up as "repulsive, obnoxious and ridiculously catchy." Album track "Blah Blah Blah" debuted in the top ten in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in the same week as the album due to strong digital sales. The lead single, "Tik Tok", had already topped the charts in eleven countries and set numerous records in the US. "Your Love is My Drug" and "Take it Off" would follow with top ten finishes on the Billboard Hot 100 as well. By March, Animal had sold a million copies worldwide. Kesha's former managers from DAS filed a lawsuit in late May, seeking $14 million from Kesha and $12 million from Luke for commissions on her RCA Records deal, alleging that she squeezed them out of her career under pressure from Luke.
Earlier that month, Kesha was featured on two top ten singles by Taio Cruz and 3OH!3. She held a benefit concert on June 16, 2010 where all proceeds went to aid victims of the May 2010 Tennessee floods from her hometown Nashville. She raised close to $70,000 from the event. She also donated 1,000 pounds of dog food to a local animal shelter for pets abandoned in the flood. In August, Kesha was named brand ambassador for Casio. She was a supporting act on the summer North American leg of Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour. Spin called her "fantastically obnoxious" in her opening set in Vancouver, Canada.
Source absoluteradio.co.uk
