“I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else” Kesha’s SMASH is a new community platform for artistsKesha has unveiled SMASH, her new platform designed to put artists first.
Writers, musicians, producers, and other creators can join the platform to hire each other for rates they set themselves, sign deals that best suit their interests, and keep all the rights to the final project. Other features include community networking, a marketplace, contracting, and a remote collaboration studio.
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To celebrate SMASH, Kesha, real name Kesha Rose Sebert, has launched a remix contest for her latest single, BOY CRAZY. Participants can enter by signing up for the SMASH email list. Those who sign up will receive the stems. The winner will be selected by Kesha and given a release on her own Kesha Records this summer.
“My goal is to shift the power structure of the music-making business in favour of the creators,” says Sebert in a press release. “I signed a predatory deal when I was 18 and then spent more than a decade fighting to regain rights to my voice and image. When I finally gained my freedom, I realised the fight wasn’t over. I want to make sure what happened to me never happens to anyone else again.”
The deal to which she is referring is her infamous contract with producer Dr Luke and Kemosabe Records, a subsidiary of Sony. Sebert was obligated to record multiple albums for the label, but in 2014, before she completed her contract, she sued Dr Luke, real name Łukasz Sebastian Gottwald, for emotional distress, sex-based hate crimes, and employment discrimination. She claimed he had abused her for years prior to filing in addition to drugging and raping her.
Gottwald denied the claims and counter-sued Sebert for defamation and breach of contract. The ensuing legal battle finally ended in 2023 with a confidential settlement. The release of her album Gag Order that same year completed her contract with Kemosabe as well.
Speaking to Wired, Kesha spoke further about the app and its goals. “I really want this to feel like artists can come to artists,” she says. “People can ask about what they’re signing and who they’re signing with. Ask, ‘I love the guitar player on that song of yours, I want to hire him.’ If you want to jam, my fantasy is there’s a place you can jam. I’m trying to figure out really how it’s made for the artist by the artist. As artists, we don’t have a hub, don’t have a spot, we don’t have that LinkedIn-style place. The more people supporting artists, the better.
“Do I find it competitive? No. I kind of look at making pop songs in a similar way. If someone makes an incredible pop song, I just listen to it and it inspires me to make the best pop song I can make. But mine is going to be uniquely mine, fueled by my history and my stories. So I think the more the merrier, people supporting artists. Let’s fucking go.”
Sign up for updates to SMASH at smashmusic.io.
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