In late 2023, after almost a decade of litigation with her former collaborator and alleged abuser Dr. Luke and months after reaching a settlement with the producer, Kesha finally received word that she was free of her contract with his label Kemosabe Records. She began work on her “first album where I’m in control of every word”, as she told Vogue: “I was writing three songs a day, like a madwoman.”
‘Period’ is her much-hyped return to pure pop, and the first release on her label Kesha Records – and she’s chosen to introduce it with two minutes of ambient gospel. On ‘Freedom’, she belts to the heavens until a jazzy disco bassline drops and she gets down to business: “I only drink when I’m happy and I’m drunk right now… / Take me to the sex shop!” The holy trinity of Kesha – sass, sex, spirituality – is in full effect.
For the most part, ‘Period’ is Kesha’s sleekest pop record since 2010’s ‘Cannibal’. There are moments of pure spectacle, such as the delightfully absurd accordion-rave lead single ‘Joyride’, and ‘Yippie-Ki-Yay’, an unholy fusion of Def Leppard and Florida Georgia Line. Meanwhile, ‘Boy Crazy’ and ‘Red Flag’ (not forgetting ‘Attention!’, a non-album single yet the cuntiest of them all) are hyped-up Europop bangers for the gay clubs. She’s serving and she knows it, as she says on ‘Joyride’: “You want kids? Well I am mother!”
Though Kesha has called this “the ultimate fuck-you album of all time”, the rest of the tracks are a more contemplative mix of slow disco and pop ballads, reminiscent of 2017’s ‘Learn to Let Go’. ‘Love Forever’, ‘The One’, ‘Too Hard’ are relatively straightforward love songs that don’t reach the vulnerability of albums past. It all builds to the closing track ‘Cathedral’, a spiritual sequel to ‘Praying’ where she’s finally able to forgive herself for the pain she’s carried through the years. It’s the one big moment of catharsis on an album that otherwise embodies joy and relief.
‘Period’ feels like a statement made after you’ve emerged from the other side and realised you’ve already done the work. Kesha doesn’t have to sing about being a survivor, nor fight to prove her artistry: She already had her spiritual rebirth on ‘Rainbow’, reconnected with her party-girl side on ‘High Road’ and purged her fears on ‘Gag Order’ (which was recently renamed ‘Eat The Acid’, in light of her legal emancipation). For all the behind-the-scenes struggles, the music has never felt compromised – Kesha’s voice has been hers all along.
Details
- Release date: July 4, 2025
- Record label: Kesha Records