Kesha Talks About Cancelled Billboard Awards Appearance, Says Performance Wasn’t About Dr. Luke


Although Kesha and Dr. Luke are done with their public court battle, it seems like the battle is still being fought on Kesha’s end. The singer was poised to have a comeback at the Billboard Music Awards with a tribute performance to singer Bob Dylan.

Kesha broke the news that she would no longer be able to perform her tribute, although she was very excited to do so. While she did bring up Dr. Luke’s name in her statement on Instagram, Kesha didn’t reveal what most outlets did — probably for legal reasons. It was revealed that Dr. Luke has decided to block her performance at the Billboard Music Awards.

Dick Clark productions revealed that Dr. Luke’s company, Kemosabe, blocked the performance from happening. In a statement, Dick Clark productions said this of the cancelled performance.

“Kemosabe subsequently rescinded its approval following a media report on Wednesday, May 11th regarding Kesha’s appearance on the BBMAs. Unfortunately, Kesha and Kemosabe have since been unable to come to an agreement for Kesha to perform on the show. dick clark productions has a long standing relationship with Kesha. We hope that the parties can come to an arrangement such that we can continue that long-standing relationship with a performance by Kesha on the Billboard Music Awards stage on May 22nd.”

As stated, Kesha released an official statement on her Instagram page.

“I was very excited to perform a tribute to Bob Dylan by singing a cover of ‘It ain’t me, babe’ at the Billboard awards this year. I’m very sad and sorry to say I won’t be allowed to do this. I just wanted to make very clear that this performance was about me honoring one of my favorite songwriters of all time and has never had anything at all to do with Dr. Luke. I was never going to use a picture of him, speak of him or allude to my legal situation in any way. I simply wanted to sing a song I love to honor an artist I have always looked up to. thank u all for the continued support.”

This is another huge setback for Kesha, who had originally hoped to be let out of her contract by Sony. When Kesha and Sony went to court, she accused Dr. Luke of sexual abuse and also said he exacerbated her eating disorder by comparing her body to a refrigerator. Kesha said she had suffered at the hands of Dr. Luke for years, and that’s why she wanted to be released from her contract with Sony.

The judge decided that since Sony has insisted she doesn’t have to work with the producer directly and that it wouldn’t justify granting Kesha her wish. But as we see now, and as it was suspected at the time, Dr. Luke and his record label, Kemosabe, have great jurisdiction over Kesha’s career without the artist’s say.

During the trial, Kesha had support from industry peers like Demi Lovato, Taylor Swift, Adele, and Kelly Clarkson, as well as the countless victims of sexual abuse who Kesha gave a voice to via media coverage of the case and the popular trending hashtag #FreeKesha.

Many of those same supporters reacted to the news that Kesha would no longer be performing at the Billboard Music Awards.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]

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