Make it pop!

MUSICAL star Kesha celebrates her freedom on new single Joy Ride, out today.

This is the 37-year-old singer’s long-awaited first release through her independent label Kesha records, marking her departure from RCA and Kemosabe records’ contract that she signed at 18, forcing her to work with producer Dr Luke whom she was in a legal battle with from 2014 till 2023.

The singer started teasing new music in January, as she was photographed out and about holding a cardboard sign that read ‘new music coming soon’.

In an interview published in February, the TikTok singer said she had a date set on her calendar for when she is ‘free’ to release music, and that she has been constantly writing new material ‘till four in the morning’.

She also expressed being mentally in a good place, as she is entering a new chapter in her life.

“I’ve never felt happier, more excited, more at peace and had such a purpose in my entire life. And I feel like I have earned the right to be this happy for sure,” Kesha stated.

On March 7, the singer revealed on social media that it was the ‘first day she owned her voice in 19 years’.

On June 29, Kesha announced the new independently released single with a photo that included the song title and release date, which also lands on American Independence Day.

The fifth and final album under the singer’s now expired contract, titled Gag Order, was released last year. It served as a creative risk for Kesha, who is known for bubblegum pop, party girl anthems, as she experienced with a psychedelic art pop sound.

Lyrically, the songs discussed Kesha’s torment caused by the legal battle she was going through at the time. The album was praised by critics for the way she discussed the matter without directly referring to the lawsuit.

Born Kesha Rose Sebert, the pop sensation was encouraged by her singer/songwriter mother Patricia ‘Pepe’ Sebert to pursue singing after she noticed her daughter’s talent. The Grammy-nominated singer earned a near-perfect score on her SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) and was offered a scholarship to Barnard College, however, she decided to pursue her musical career instead.