On July 4, Kesha declared her independence with “Joyride,” her first independently released single since fulfilling her Kemosabe Records contract and settling her years-long legal battle with Dr. Luke. Kesha dropped her Joyride EP Pack, but she’s also preparing to release her first album on her Kesha Records.
Kesha told Paper that she believes her unreleased songs are “the best songs, I think, of my entire career” and heightened the anticipation even more by likening this album to Animal, her 2010 debut LP that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
“This is the first time in my life I’ve felt similarly to how I did in that point in my life, when I was making music from a purely joyful place,” Kesha said. “But you know, because of life, this is even more exciting, because it’s all really 100% me. That feels really good, just to step into my own worth, and my own power and not have anything in my mind or the external world say it’s anything but me. It’s pretty unavoidable that whether people like or hate ‘Joyride,’ it’s all me.”
The multi-platinum-certified pop star added, “This is the first album I’m making where I’m 100% in control of everything. It feels like it’s my first album. It feels divine; it feels like it stands for a lot. It’s really beautiful, and I cannot wait to share it. It’s maybe the most beautiful time of my entire life! I am so excited I got to work with the people I did and capture this moment in time, and put it onto something other people can listen to. It’s been deeply life-changing and profound to make this album, but it’s also the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. If you thought Animal was fun, just f*cking wait.”
“Joyride” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, so Kesha has all the momentum to capture the mainstream like she did with Animal.