#FreeKesha Movement Explained as Kim Petras Defends Working With Dr. Luke

The hashtag "Free Kesha" is currently making the rounds on social media again after Kim Petras defended working with Dr. Luke on Twitter last week.

The #FreeKesha movement began after the "Tik Tok" singer came forward and first accused music producer Dr. Luke, whose full name is Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, of sexual and emotional abuse in 2014.

Over the weekend, the movement appeared to reignite when German singer-songwriter Kim Petras defended her work with Dr. Luke in a series of tweets that have since been deleted. In one, a user wrote, "stop defending Dr. Luke," to which Petras allegedly replied, "5000000 ppl work with him why y'all only coming at me. I have nothing to say or be ashamed of at all. Go away."

Kesha fans reportedly came to her defense, and Kesha tweeted on Sunday night, "Thank you." The hashtag #FreeKesha continued to trend on Monday as Kesha prepares to once again meet Dr. Luke in court next year after he filed a defamation lawsuit against her.

What is the #FreeKesha Movement?

At 17 years old, Kesha—whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert—moved from Nashville, Tennessee, to Los Angeles in order to record music with Dr. Luke, who runs Kemosabe Records, a label owned by Sony Music. Her first album was released in 2010.

However, in October of 2014, Kesha filed a suit against Dr. Luke, claiming that he drugged and sexually assaulted her and emotionally abused her, leading to an eating disorder. The singer asked in the suit that she be released from her contract with the record label. Dr. Luke filed a countersuit to refute the claims.

In 2016, a New York Supreme Court Justice denied the singer's request for a preliminary injunction, which would have allowed her to record music outside of the record label until the case was finalized.

Around this time, Kesha saw waves of support from other artists and celebrities, including Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith, and others, prompting the famous hashtag #FreeKesha to begin trending online.

In April of 2016, Kesha posted an Instagram photo with a caption that revealed she was asked to recant her claims of rape and abuse against Dr. Luke if she wanted to be let out of her binding contract.

"I got offered my freedom IF i were to lie. I would have to APOLOGIZE publicly and say that I never got raped. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS behind closed doors. I will not take back the TRUTH. I would rather let the truth ruin my career than lie for a monster ever again," she wrote.

Kesha released her 2017 album Rainbow, which included the emotional single "Praying", with Kemosabe Records, followed by her fourth album, High Road, in 2020.

As of today, Kesha and Dr. Luke are still enshrined in a legal battle after years of litigation between them. In July of next year, they are expected to go to court over his defamation suit against her.

Newsweek reached out to a representative for Kesha for additional comment.