Taylor Swift Supports Kesha In A Big Way

On Friday, February 19, the music world was rocked by the news that Kesha lost her lawsuit against Dr. Luke (real name, Lukasz Gottwald) after a judge ruled that the singer must remain in her contract with the Sony music producer despite her claims that she was sexually and verbally abused by the record producer. Dr. Luke has repeatedly denied these allegations and has countersued Kesha for defamation. In the aftermath, fans trended the hashtag #FreeKesha, and artists within the music community are speaking out in support of the pop star as well. The latest celebrity to jump in with support isTaylor Swift. In fact, instead of just speaking up on the topic, Swift donated $250,000 to Kesha, proving that she doesn't just talk about being a feminist; she takes the action to support her fellow women in any way that she can. And her actions speak louder than words.

The news of Swift's donation was confirmed through Swift's rep to JustJared, but the "Out of the Woods" singer has yet to speak directly about her donation. And by not speaking too loudly, Swift is effectively keeping the focus on the woman she is helping: Kesha. Swift's move appears to be a simple act of kindness and a move to support women in the music industry. That sentiment seems to be reflected in a tweet by Kesha's mother, Pebe Sebert, in which she expressed her gratefulness for the act:

Swift is not the only artist within the industry speaking up for Kesha. Some of them include Lady Gaga, Lorde, Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea, Halsey, and so many more. Through all of the news of celebrity feuds and album drops, reading these tweets is proof that the sense of support among artists within the music industry is definitely still alive. That the shallowness of Hollywood might feel like a very real thing between all the award shows and the press tours and the celebrity baby pictures making headlines over real issues but that, when it matters, celebrities can, have, and will band together for causes that are close to their hearts.

Everything from money, to a simple act of kindness, can go a long way to support equality and fairness within the music industry. Kesha and Dr. Luke’s reps did not immediately respond to Bustle’s request for comment, but, in 2014 when the lawsuit was initially filed, Kesha's lawyer Mark Geragos told Billboard:

This lawsuit is a wholehearted effort by Kesha to regain control of her music career and her personal freedom after suffering for ten years as a victim of mental manipulation, emotional abuse and sexual assault at the hands of Dr. Luke. The facts presented in our lawsuit paint a picture of a man who is controlling and willing to commit horrible acts of abuse in an attempt to intimidate an impressionable, talented, young female artist into submission for his personal gain. Kesha is focused on moving her life and her career beyond this terrible time.

Update: Dr. Luke's attorney Christine Lepera released a statement to The Rolling Stone:

The New York County Supreme Court on Friday found that Kesha is already "free" to record and release music without working with Dr. Luke as a producer if she doesn’t want to. Any claim that she isn’t "free" is a myth. The sound decision Friday by the Court in denying Kesha's motion for an injunction made it clear Kesha's allegations of purported abuse were unconvincing and that she had no basis to void record contracts and copyrights… The goal of Kesha's counsel throughout has been to obtain a more lucrative contract through a shameless campaign of outrageous claims they will never stand behind in a court of law.

As Dr. Luke has said repeatedly, the allegations against him are outright lies that have been advanced to extort a contract renegotiation and money. Kesha and her counsel have cavalierly subjected Dr. Luke and his family to trial by Twitter, using a vicious smear campaign to ruin his reputation for financial gain while failing to support their claims… It will further be shown that the incidents alleged never happened.