Kesha on Feeling at 'Peace' and Being Free to Release New Music: 'I've Earned the Right to Be This Happy'

The pop star told 'V Magazine' she plans to release new music this year

Kesha
Kesha attends a Los Angeles exhibition in May 2023. Photo:

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Kesha says she has "never felt happier" as she is marking a "brand-new and very exciting chapter" in her career.

The 36-year-old pop star caught up with V Magazine just two months after she parted ways with record labels Kemosabe and RCA Records, as well as Vector Management.

Revealing that she has her eye on one date in particular when it comes to being able to release new material, Kesha told the publication, "I’ll say … to all my fans, all my animals, this has been a ride. I’ll say that there is a day — although I won’t say the day — but there is a day marked on my calendar when I am free to release music."

"So just know that she is out here in the woods writing and singing till four in the morning, ferociously. I am being a feral wild woman out here. So just know that," she added.

Kesha
Kesha attends the Christian Siriano SS24 Runway Show in New York City in September 2023.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

When asked about what's to come in her career, Kesha — who told the outlet that she has written "somewhere between seven and 10 songs" during her stint as a teacher for an Esalen Institute songwriting course — explained her current mindset, noting: "I’ll say this: I’ve never felt happier, more excited, more at peace and had such a purpose in my entire life."

"And I feel like I have earned the right to be this happy for sure. So letting that be … I am loving every minute of what feels like a brand-new and very exciting chapter," she added.

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The new chapter follows both the end of Kesha's legal battle with producer Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald in June, and the end of her contract with Gottwald's Kemosabe label, distributed through RCA Records.

Last year, she also reportedly "amicably" stopped working with Vector Management, and Kesha then signed with Crush Management earlier this month.

In June 2023, Kesha and Gottwald, 50, agreed to resolve his defamation lawsuit out of court. The Grammy winner sued Gottwald nearly a decade before, accusing him of sexual, emotional and physical abuse. Both Gottwald and Kesha released statements last year about the settlement.

"Only God knows what happened that night. As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened," wrote Kesha. "I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved."

Kesha previously sued Gottwald on claims that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005. In 2016, Kesha's claims were dismissed by a judge. Gottwald again denied the allegations last year, and wished her "well" in his 2023 statement.

At the time, Gottwald wrote, "While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging that she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened."

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 23: Kesha attends the Discovery+ "Conjuring Kesha" press line during 2022 Comic-Con International: San Diego at Hilton Bayfront on July 23, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Kesha attends the Discovery+ "Conjuring Kesha" press line during Comic-Con International: San Diego in July 2022. Frazer Harrison/Getty

In recent months, Kesha has teased new music with some fun DIY signage, as she was first spotted in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles last month with a handwritten sign reading "NEW MUSIC COMING SOON!" She has also uploaded several photos and videos from recording studio sessions to social media.

Kesha did the same in February when she was joined by friends Kyle Richards and Morgan Wade to further tease new material by once again holding up a handmade sign. "Freedom I've been waiting for you," read the note, which Kesha later confirmed was a lyric to a new song.

Kesha's most recent LP, Gag Order, was released in May 2023.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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