Kesha

Singer and songwriter Kesha dominated the charts in 2009 with "Tik Tok," a party-till-you-drop anthem that blended pop lyrics, hip-hop delivery, and electronic beats. Kesha turned the mega-hit into her signature sound, propelled by similar hits off her debut album, "Animal" (2010). The vocalist also turned in decent acting performances, often mocking her party-girl image, in hilarious short films for the website Funnyordie.com that went viral. A hybrid of 1980s-era Beastie Boys and '90s-era Madonna, Kesha's irresistible hooks, coupled with her carefree attitude, entertained millions and firmly planted her career as a reputable pop star. Unfortunately, her career was derailed by an extensive legal battle with her label, Sony Records, focusing on an October 2014 lawsuit charging songwriter/producer Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald) with sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, and emotional abuse; although the lawsuit was rejected in April 2016, Kesha's ongoing outspokenness on the topic garnered her a large contingent of fans who supported the singer in her quest to regain control of her career.

She was born Kesha Rose Sebert on March 1, 1987 in Los Angeles, where she was raised by a single mother who relied on welfare and food stamps in order to get by. Kesha's mother Pebe, who also worked as a songwriter to earn extra money, moved the family to Nashville, TN, where she often brought along the future star to recording studios. One of Kesha's earliest television appearances was on the reality series "The Simple Life" (Fox, 2003-05; E! 2006-07), where socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie traveled across the country to live and work with various families. A 2005 episode of the show featured Hilton and Richie visiting and living with Kesha's family for a few days. After dropping out of high school, Kesha recorded a demo of two songs - a country ballad and an ad-libbed hip-hop track - that eventually made it to executives at Broadcast Music, Inc., a non-profit organization for artists. BMI convinced Kesha to move back to Los Angeles and pursue a music career.

At 18, Kesha signed with producer Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Entertainment and sang background vocals, ironically, for Hilton's single "Nothing in This World" (2006). Moving to L.A. did not help Kesha achieve overnight success. She earned a living as a waitress while waiting to get discovered. Yet nothing stopped the aspiring singer to pursue her dreams, even if it meant breaking the law. Two years after arriving in L.A., Kesha reportedly trespassed the property of music icon Prince because she was determined to have him produce her first album. She was eventually thrown out, but she allegedly managed to leave a copy of her demo.

Shortly after landing mainstream projects, from appearing in Katy Perry's music video for "I Kissed A Girl" (2008), to singing background vocals for Britney Spears's song "Lace and Leather" (2008), Kesha finally hit music gold when she sang the hook in rapper Flo Rida's chart-topping single, "Right Round." The collaboration happened after Kesha accidentally walked into a recording session with Flo Rida and Dr. Luke, and was asked to sing the catchy hook. Even though she was not paid, nor was she credited on the U.S. release of the song, Kesha's vocal cameo in "Right Round" helped her land a multi-album deal with RCA Records. She released her debut single "Tik Tok," a celebratory pop song inspired by Kesha's party-girl lifestyle. The song topped the charts in several countries and by October 2010, was certified five times platinum. "Tik Tok" was also featured in various Hollywood projects, from the long-running animated series "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ), to the family feature "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" (2011). The track even received a show choir version on the award-winning comedy series "Glee" (Fox, 2009- ) during an episode about teen drinking. "Tik Tok" paved the way for Kesha's debut album, "Animal" and subsequent singles "Blah Blah Blah" and "Your Love Is My Drug" to do equally well on the charts.

Kesha's breakout success with "Animal" earned her rave critical reviews and multiple award nominations, including Artist of the Year at the 2010 American Music Awards. Never one to take herself too seriously, Kesha also showcased her acting skills in a series of comedy short films for the popular website Funnyordie.com. In "The Story of the $" (2010), Kesha jokingly revealed her stage name originated from a birthday cake at Shakey's Pizza that replaced the "S" with a dollar sign. She returned to short film acting in "Disney Princess Kesha" (2011) as a wholesome fairy tale princess who prances around with animated pals until her bad girl alter-ego shows up. In November 2010, Kesha released "Cannibal", a companion album to "Animal" that yielded more hits, including the No. 1 track "We R Who We R." Her second album, "Warrior", was released in 2012 and included the hit "Die Young." That same year, Kesha began to branch out musically, recording with psychedelic veterans The Flaming Lips on their 2012 anthology album "The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends". The following year, Kesha scored another number one single with "Timber," a collaboration with Pitbull."

After undergoing rehab for alcohol addiction in January 2014, Kesha announced that she was retiring the dollar sign from her name. Later that year, she appeared as a judge on the singing competition series "Rising Star" (ABC 2014). In October 2014, Kesha filed suit against Dr. Luke, accusing the producer of sexual assault and harassment among other charges. She then filed an injunction to be released from Dr. Luke's label, Kemosabe Records. The injunction was denied in February 2016; in April of that year, the same judge threw out Kesha's 2014 suit against Dr. Luke. The legal battle garnered sympathy for the young artist and highlighted the ongoing problems of sexual harassment in the music industry, but brought her recording career to an ongoing standstill.