As Kesha‘s ongoing legal battle with Dr. Luke continues to unfold, the singer’s mother is ready to speak out on record in strong defense of her daughter. In an extensive new interview with Billboard, Kesha’s mom, Rosemary “Pebe” Sebert, said that Kesha was a prisoner during her time working with Dr. Luke. “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,” Pebe said. “Luke would say, ‘You look nice today,’ and send her into hysterics of happiness because she was programmed to expect nothing but abuse.”
Pebe also confirmed that Kesha can currently record with producers other than Dr. Luke, but said that he still has input in anything she does. She hasn’t released any new music since her sophomore album, Warrior, came out in 2012. “He gets to approve of anyone she works with. He has final say over everything,” she explained. As of now, nothing has been decided by the courts in Kesha’s case, though a judge has denied a preliminary injunction to let her out of her contract with Dr. Luke.
Just yesterday, a report surfaced that stated Sony Music was going to drop Dr. Luke, but the producer’s team quickly denied that was the case. Sony has maintained that the company is not in a position to terminate the contract between Luke and Kesha, while he has continued to say that the allegations against him are untrue. For Pebe and Kesha, these issues have been ongoing for years and this is a situation that they will never be able to put behind them. “I wanted Kesha to come forward a long time ago and end this relationship with Dr. Luke immediately after the [alleged] rape,” Pebe said. “But if she wanted to have a shot at the music business, she had no choice but [to work with him].”
While nobody really knows how the court will rule in Kesha’s lawsuit against Dr. Luke, Pebe believes her daughter is making strides now that this topic is out in the public. “Kesha is so much better now,” she said. “She wasn’t comfortable with having to do this, but I think she realized as this thing progressed that she can advocate for sexual abuse or other things. The fact that she is at peace with that has really been healing.” You can read Pebe’s full interview with Billboard here. We’ll continue to update on everything involving Kesha’s legal battle with Dr. Luke as more details come out.
