When Kesha released her debut album Animal, it was January 2010 and I was a junior in high school. When she released the companion EP Cannibal, it was November 2010 and I was a senior in high school. I turned 17 in the interim between both albums, went to prom, fell in love, wrote poetry about it, got my heart broken, and through it all Kesha was there. She was the cool older sister who went out partying on weeknights and told me all about her exploits the next day on the ride to school.
Videos by American Songwriter
The impact that Kesha’s early albums had on me is a clear example of how music influences us in our formative years. To this day, listening to Animal never fails to bring me back to 2010, for better or worse. While it’s important to recognize that Kesha was in an abusive, controlling business relationship with Dr. Luke during this time, those early albums were still revolutionary for teenage girls just starting to figure out life.
Kesha’s Aggressively Sexual Early Persona Shielded Her Reality from Listeners
Kesha’s more recent work, from Rainbow on, and especially Gag Order from 2023, illustrates the precarious situation she was in. Those albums allowed her to share glimpses into her experiences, were almost cries for help. Meanwhile, Animal, Cannibal, and even Warrior were Kesha entrenched in an abusive, appalling working relationship, unable to fully express herself through her music.
Putting these albums in context, there’s a sense of urgency, containment, the shadows of a mental breakdown woven within the lyrics. The common thread is self-destruction. However, until 2014 when Kesha filed her lawsuit against Dr. Luke, there was no way for listeners to know what she was really going through. She was shielded behind an aggressively sexual persona. However, that early character taught us how to party, how to love with our entire bodies, and how to break hearts.
What I Learned from Animal and Cannibal
While these albums are nowhere near perfect, it’s the fact that they’re deeply flawed which remains an important cultural touchstone. Animal was our introduction to Kesha—overtly sexual party girl with a penchant for alcohol, drugs, and loud music. Cannibal was more of the same, but it took on a darker tone, less aggressively sexual and more aggressively feral.
“I think that this year has been just totally insane, and I think that there’s been a little bit of self-devouring,” Kesha told Vulture in 2010, when asked about the album title Cannibal. “It’s gotten a little intense, and I’m going a little crazy. And I just took Animal a little left, and a little darker, and just a little crazier.”
The early Ke$ha persona showcased moments of internalized misogyny on songs like “Grow a Pear” and “Kiss N Tell,” where she tells guys “You’re acting like a chick, why bother?” and “I just can’t date a dude with a vag.” This was inherently part of the era that Kesha debuted in, using men and hating other women. Again, this is part of why Animal and Cannibal were deeply flawed.
However, the albums also allowed those of us who listened to learn to be sexual creatures. In context of Kesha’s situation, those albums tell us that sex can be leveraged, can be used against women. But it can also be liberating and shameless. Through these two albums, Kesha gave us ways to express the loud, messy, heartbreaking parts of life, love, and sexuality. She’s been through hell, but I personally can’t wait to see how liberated she becomes in this new reality.
Featured Image by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.