Before Harvey Weinstein’s exposure as a sexual predator sparked the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, there was Kesha and the manager she says raped her.
But unlike so many women who are now sharing their stories of abuse, Kesha was not widely believed, nor widely supported. Two years after Kesha filed her lawsuit against Lukasz ‘Dr Luke’ Gottwald for sexual assault and battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, civil harassment and unfair business in 2014, all her claims were dismissed by a New York judge. During this time, Kesha claimed her record company turned a blind eye to the abuse.
This battle also took a serious toll on her career, but in July 2017 she released her first song in four years.
Listen: The Mamamia Out Loud team explain what the Time’s Up movement actually does.
That song, Praying, Kesha described as part of her journey towards “healing”, and the song lyrically suggests she hopes Dr Luke and all those who ignored and dismissed the alleged abuse are now “praying” for forgiveness.
And that’s why when Kesha performed on stage at the 60th Grammy Awards in front of a chorus of women in white, people in the audience and watching at home were so moved.
Kesha was joined on stage by Cyndi Lauper, Havana singer Camila Cabello, Bebe Rexha, Julia Michaels, Andra Day and the Resistance Revival Chorus who were all dressed in white, one of the colours associated with fighting for women’s rights.
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