KESHA IS SO in right now in a way she has never been before.
The pop icon known for a slew of hits in the early 2010s like “Tik Tok” (released well before the app) and the recent “Boy Crazy” is in renaissance mode. Kesha is days away from a global tour, with the first US leg since her acrimonious split with her former label and a drawn out legal battle with a producer whom she accused of physical and sexual abuse and discrimination. After launching her own label in September 2024, Kesha is ready to get back into the creative fray—and to challenge practices endemic to the music business that take power away from artists.
That plan includes a new social app, or at least the vision for one, which she calls Smash. Kesha announced the service on Instagram today. Kesha’s goal is to make a dedicated space online for people in the music industry to collaborate and connect.
“I think we realize what systems are fucking broken and we smash them,” Kesha says.
That kind of confidence has long infused the artist’s work, but it stands out in a different way now. Since going independent, Kesha has gotten into ghost hunting, given a TED Talk, and discussed living in a clothing-optional “hippie commune.” On July 4, 2024, she released the comeback song “Joy Ride,” which listeners hailed as the return of the “Queen of recession pop.” (A term meant for the bubbly, feel-good pop songs that people credit with helping them weather the economic turmoil of the early 2010s.)
