Kesha has spoken about her upcoming album ‘Gag Order’, saying that she shares “a lot of ugly emotions” in it.
Due for release May 19, the follow-up to 2020’s ‘High Road’ sees the singer work with Rick Rubin on the “anti-pop” record.
“An artist doesn’t exist to make others happy. I believe an artist gives voice, motion, colour to the emotions we all have. The good emotions, and the unmanageably fucking miserable ones,” Kesha said when the album was announced last month.
So far, two tracks from ‘Gag Order’ have been released: ‘Eat The Acid’ and ‘Fine Line’. Both songs allude to the singer’s public struggles including her legal battle with producer Dr Luke.
In a new interview with The Guardian Kesha explained that “with this album I actually got to get really intimate and expose the sides of myself that I’m not the most proud of”.
“The ones that I want to never talk about, that I never want to share with the greater public. The ones that are more scary, and more vulnerable, and more insecure. I share a lot of ugly emotions on this album,” she continued.
Kesha went on to say that at the start of the recording process she would walk into the studio and “for approximately two hours I would cry” while Rubin would just “create space”.
“He never once asked me to stop crying, or to get it together. It just took me a minute to put a voice to these really unpleasant, embarrassing emotions. I don’t want to be seen as weak, or fucked up, or unhappy, because overall in my life … I have all the emotions,” Kesha said.
“Sometimes I’m incredibly happy, and then sometimes I have panic attacks. That’s the truth. I’ve been so sick of pretending everything is all good.”
She went on to say how she “was doing a disservice to the whole of my being”, by pretending everything was ok. “As the woman who wrote ‘Tik Tok’ and ‘The Party Don’t Start Until I Walk in’, I didn’t think anyone needed or wanted that side of my psyche,” Kesha added.
“The whole point of this album is: ‘Some things are not OK, and I’ve been through some stuff that is not OK’.”
‘Gag Order’ is set to be released by RCA Records and Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records.
In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr Luke accusing him of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. He has denied all allegations and counter-sued Kesha for defamation and breach of contract. The trial date for the case has been scheduled for July 26.
“I’m always cognisant of the ongoing litigation even when I’m just telling the truth about how I’m feeling. Hence the title of the album,” said Kesha.
