Kesha Releases ‘Joyride’ Track Since Parting With Dr. Luke

Kesha has released her first track since parting with Dr. Luke, fittingly on Independence Day. The pop star, 37, teased the track last week in a photo filling up her gas tank.

While filling up her white Porsche at a gas station called "Joyride," all the prices were fixed at $7.04. Fans were already flocking to the comments section to share their excitement for the "Praying" singer. One person wrote: "Showing the world your new independence by releasing on Independence Day. How iconic [lightning bolt emoji]."

One teaser clip where Kesha states, "You’re right, I am a bitch," fans celebrated her nostalgic energy from the aughts. A fan commented, "2010 KESHA IS BACK YEEEESSSSSSS THIS IS WHAT WE NEEDED."

In a fitting way to ring in Independence Day, Kesha dropped her new single, “Joyride,” marking her first release as an indie artist since parting ways with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records and RCA. The track is a perfect re-introduction to Kesha, and it's a perfect summer jam. With notable lyrics like, "You want kids? Well I am mother," fans went bonkers after hearing the dance banger.

Following the release of "Joyride," Kesha expressed her gratitude on X (formerly Twitter), writing, "MY FIRST SONG AS A FREE WOMAN ON MY RECORD LABEL FIRST SPOT WTF IM SOBBING THANK UUUU FOR THE SUPPORT I JUST CANT EVEN." In another post, she declared: "ITS KESHA SUMMER BITCHESSSSS."

“Joyride” marks a new beginning for Kesha. As we reported, Kesha has been working on new music after releasing her fifth album last year. In January, the pop star held up a sign in a parking lot reading: “New music coming soon!”

In December, she parted ways with Dr. Luke’s record labels Kemosabe and RCA Records. Kesha also reportedly “amicably” stopped working with Vector Management before that and then signed with Crush Management. Revealing that she has her eye on one date in particular when it comes to being able to release new material, Kesha said at the time, “There is a day marked on my calendar when I am free to release music.” Without disclosing the date, she assured her “animals” she’d been “out here in the woods writing and singing till four in the morning, ferociously.”

The Los Angeles native revealed that she has written “somewhere between seven and 10 songs” while teaching an Esalen Institute songwriting course. Since she has been freed from her contractual obligations with Dr. Luke, Kesha said she has never felt happier or more at peace in her entire life. In her 2023 Gag Order album, Kesha used it to get rid of the anxiety she felt about being put under a microscope for so long and create a new image of herself that she wanted people to acknowledge.

Kesha recently celebrated her liberation with a performance to kick off Pride weekend at WeHo’s Outloud Fest last month, where she told the crowd, “This is my first show as a free motherf---ng woman.” During the performance, she debuted two new songs, “Mother” and “Freedom.”

Kesha has had a music career that has spanned a decade. The singer-songwriter, whose full name is Kesha Rose Sebert, was signed when she was just 18 years old. Her first major success in mainstream music came in 2009 after she was featured on rapper Flo Rida's number-one single "Right Round." With her party-girl persona and her name stylized as Ke$ha at the time, the artist then found success with her 2010 album, Animal. This featured hits, including "Tik Tok," "Blah Blah Blah," "Your Love Is My Drug," and the collaboration with 3Oh!3, "We R Who We R."

As we previously reported, Kesha opened up about feeling pressured to play up her "wild-child" persona at the beginning of her music career. In an interview with Self, the musician said her “fans came to me for joy, and I didn’t want to disappoint them." At the time, she encouraged her fans to be free to get “hot and dangerous.” She wanted to create a safe space at her shows for people to be “exactly who they want to be” which is something she stands by as an artist.

On her recently released fifth studio album, Gag Order, Kesha is excited for people to see her art and the different phases of her life. She used this new album as an outlet to get rid of the anxiety she felt about being put under a microscope for so long. On top of that, to create a new image of herself that she wants people to acknowledge. "It was the first time I shed real light on subjects that, previously, I was too nervous to," she said of Gag Order. "I had to shed light on the darker sides of what happens in my mind."

See below our five picks of Kesha's best songs:

With the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, this is one of Kesha's older dance-pop songs that gives us a feel-good feeling. The music video is wild, with Kesha wearing corn rows and grills, while will.i.am is a hologram in a golden spacesuit.

The concept of this song is Kesha accepting hate if it lets others feel better about themselves about their own miserable lives. She reflects on how she overcame caring about opinions about her and letting it all go. Her isolated vocals towards the end of the song with the droning sounds adds a layer of complexity to her experimental sound.

With the music video's intro, Kesha asks existential questions about life, death and god. Using imagery to reflect this (laying down in a crucifixion pose and bleeding tears), Kesha plays the piano as her voice shines through. When Kesha first sings, "I hope you're somewhere praying, I hope your soul is changing," it gives us goosebumps.

Here's another song where Kesha's voice is highlighted. She really shines when the arrangements are spare. In "Rainbow," Kesha's message is one of hopeful and healing. This song is one that can touch your soul and make you cry.

In 2023's Gag Order, Kesha's voice sounds much more mature and developed. As the last track of the album that celebrates the freeing from her contract, she rips off the plastic face of herself that suffocated and trapped her for years. The simple visualizer and song is one of her best works to date.