Kesha Slams 'Terrifying' Trump Administration for 'Waving Around Their Chainsaws'

In a new interview with Paper magazine, Kesha spoke with Bob the Drag Queen about her upcoming album, PERIOD, and how she's hoping she can transfer the freedom she's felt in making it to her fans, during a time she says is so terrifying for so many.

"It seems like the rights to one's self-expression and their voice shouldn't be legally allowed to be taken away. But in my case, that's what happened to me for 20 years," Kesha said, seemingly referencing her legal battle with producer Dr. Luke.

Kesha and the music producer settled the long-standing legal battle in June 2023. The back-and-forth stemmed from her 2014 accusations of rape and abuse against Dr. Luke -- which he denied -- with the terms of the settlement remaining undisclosed.

"The freedom I'm trying to get back every day is being okay with where I am in my journey," she said ahead of the album's release, aptly dropping on July 4, Independence Day. "Like you said, freedom is not a destination. The desire for freedom is ongoing and the freedom to really embody oneself fully on a world stage takes so much courage. I'm really trying to break through this judgment piece to find true freedom to be able to play and have fun. It’s a political act."

With her single, "YIPPEE-KI-YAY," Kesha wanted to share what that freedom sounds like, as she regained the rights not only to make new music, but to be joyous, and full of love again, after not being able to for so long.

"I wanted to really capture in song what it sounds like for a woman to regain the rights back to the thing that is her gift to the world," Kesha said of the track. "I wanted to capture that entire journey of healing, freedom, reclaiming my joy, falling in love with myself as I am, and I want to give that gift to the world... I really wanted to capture reclaiming my freedom. I wanted to capture that in song and I want to give that as a gift to the world, because everybody's going through something. It might not be the same something, but everybody's going through something or has been through something. And for me specifically, after what I've been through, I want people to see that my joy is still my right."

And joy is a right Kesha thinks her fans should be afforded as well, especially those targeted by Trump and his administration.

"When I look at the current administration, I have never seen a less embodied group of individuals waving around their chainsaws. It's terrifying," Kesha said, referencing Elon Musk's CPAC stunt. "In the midst of all this chaos, the most political thing we could do is love ourselves and love one another and create a space where we can come together and spread as much love as possible."

"My mission with this album is to create a safe space for people to feel fully embodied and liberated. That's what this album stands for, that's what I'm going through personally," she continued.

"This summer, I'm going on tour. If you want to find your community and find a safe space for you to fully embody exactly who you are and be celebrated, I invite you to come join us. I would like to start a revolution of love. I want to create a traveling summer of love, a community of love. I want to give all of us a place to come and be ourselves."

On Thursday, Kesha announced she'll be touring with Scissor Sisters and Slayyyter this summer, kicking off July 1 in Utah. Presale beings April 8, before the general sale on April 10.