The 36-year-old, Los Angeles-born Kesha is one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
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She began earning fame in 2009 thanks to her work on Flo Rida’s No. 1 track “Right Round.” And since then, she’s garnered No. 1 albums of her own and a slew of big hit songs, from “Tik Tok” and “Praying” to her collaboration with Macklemore, “Good Old Days.”
Kesha got help with her start from her mother Pebe Sebert, who also co-wrote for Dolly Parton, Pitbull, and more. The two have written 11 published songs together.
[RELATED: Kesha’s Mother Explains the Jeffrey Dahmer Lyric in Her Daughter’s 2010 Single “Cannibal”]
Sadly, it’s impossible to talk about the artist today without mentioning her ongoing legal battle with former producer Dr. Luke, whom Kesha has accused of a number of abuses, while he’s claimed defamation and breach of contract.
But despite these troubles, Kesha has maintained power and poise and her iconic pop status. Not only doing so for herself but helping others along the way and penning hits for big-name performers.
Here are four songs you likely didn’t know Kesha wrote for other artists.
1. “Pink Champagne,” Ariana Grande
Written by Ariana Grande, Matt Squire, Kesha Sebert, Pebe Sebert
The 2013 dance song was co-written by Kesha (and her mom). But despite being attached to her name and Ariana Grande’s, the song was never released. Instead, Grande gave it to her fans for free after hitting 10 million followers on Twitter. Originally, the song was meant for Grande’s record, Yours Truly, but it never found a place. In 2020, another version of the song with a different musicality was leaked on the internet. Then another version was leaked in 2023.
2. “Till the World Ends,” Britney Spears
Written by Dr. Luke, Alexander Kronlund, Max Martin, Kesha Sebert
From Spears’ seventh album, Femme Fatale, released in 2011, “Till the World Ends” is fit for hypnosis. A remix of the song featured rapper Nicki Minaj and Kesha. The album was a big success for Spears and the song was instrumental in that. “That song is me imagining her and any female musician touring the world,” said Kesha. “You know when you go out, and you’re having an amazing, magical night and you don’t want to go to sleep and you want it to last until the world ends?”
3. “This Love,” The Veronicas
Written by Toby Gad, Kesha Sebert
Another dance song on the list, “This Love” was written by Toby Gad and Kesha. Though at the time, she hadn’t yet become Kesha. The Australian band Veronicas released the song on their 2007 album, Hook Me Up. It was a top 10 hit in the country. The track borrows a bit from the song “Take on Me” from A-ha, portending a great deal from the budding pop star Kesha.
4. “The Time of Our Lives,” Miley Cyrus
Written by Dr.Luke, Claude Kelly, Kesha Sebert, Pebe Sebert
“The Time of Our Lives” is another song written in part by Kesha and her mother, Pebe. The song was the title track from Miley’s 2009 debut EP. The album was originally a Walmart-only release, but it’s since proliferated into the world. While “Party in the U.S.A.” got a lot of traction, it was this dance number that helped name the release.
5. “What Baby Wants,” Alice Cooper
Kesha and Alice Cooper met at the Grammys and it was then the Detroit rocker knew he wanted to work with her. In Kesha, he saw a fellow musical spirit. “She would much rather be the female Robert Plant than the next Britney Spears,” Cooper told Billboard. So the two worked together on this track from Cooper’s album, Welcome 2 My Nightmare.
Added Cooper of their collab, “[Kesha] wrote, probably, the most disgusting lyrics in the song. Just because they’re put in this pigeonhole doesn’t mean that’s what they are. We had to water down her lyrics. The lyrics she started with, I went, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa… whoa. Alice is too much of a gentleman to say that.’ We had a great time writing it and singing it… We got a really good performance out of her on it.”
Photo: Dana Trippe / Shore Fire Media
