Latest news with #BarnardCollege
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
With her app Smash, Kesha can be whoever she wants – even a tech CEO
Kesha – yes, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack Kesha – is now a startup founder. But if you think her journey from raunchy pop star to CEO is unexpected, then you haven't been paying attention. Kesha has always embraced contradictions. She exploded onto the pop scene in 2010 with irreverent ear candy like 'Blah Blah Blah' and 'TiK ToK,' stylizing her name with a dollar sign despite throwing shade at the egregious wealth of Hollywood. She didn't let people dismiss her as a one-dimensional, glitter-clad party girl. As beleaguered high schoolers studied for exams amid Kesha's rise to fame, they whispered in frustration about how the world's most famous party girl got a near-perfect score on the SAT, but turned down a full-ride to Barnard College to sing about peeing in champagne bottles. The biggest contradiction of Kesha's story is that despite living the dream of a pop star on the surface, her years in the spotlight were nightmarish behind the scenes. Now, drawing from her own experience suffering at the hands of predatory record contracts, Kesha is building an app called Smash, which is a way for musicians to find one another, make music together, and establish clear, artist-friendly contracts among collaborators. Smash aims to set itself apart by using a built-in system to generate contracts between artists. The terms of the contracts depend on what each artist decides — for example, a musician may decide to license a beat for set fee, or request a percentage of royalties over time. Smash would fund itself by taking a small cut of payments made through the app. 'One of the pieces of leverage, especially over younger music creators, is you need a way into the club,' Kesha's brother and Smash co-founder Lagan Sebert told TechCrunch. 'With Smash, we want to give music creators the keys to get into this club of professionals and other creators without them feeling like they have to sign anything away, or make any large decisions about the rest of their lives.' After establishing herself as a powerhouse pop star, Kesha sued her producer Dr. Luke in 2014 for alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. He immediately countersued her for defamation, sparking a high-profile legal battle and reckoning with the dark side of pop music. Though Kesha sought to get out of her recording contract with Dr. Luke, the court ruled against her, forcing her to release three more albums with him. It was only this month — on July 4, a date chosen very intentionally — that Kesha released an album without Dr. Luke for the first time. But regaining her own artistic agency isn't enough. Now that she is a fully independent artist, she wants to help ensure that other young musicians don't fall victim to exploitative record deals like she did. 'One of the things that really motivated her was when she went through this long legal battle to regain the rights to her voice, regain rights to her music,' Sebert said. 'I think the motivation behind Smash more than anything was to try to give music creators access to the community they need to create music independently.' Building the Band If Kesha and her brother were going to build an app, they were going to need some technological expertise. Years ago, Kesha attended an ACTAI Ventures event and met Lars Rasmussen, who co-founded Google Maps and was one of the first investors in design unicorn Canva. The two stayed in touch, and when it came time to build Smash, Rasmussen introduced her to Alan Cannistraro, who would become the app's CTO. Cannistraro spent over 12 years at Apple, where he worked on products for creatives like Final Cut; he also managed a team of engineers to build the first ever apps for iOS, like Remote, iBooks, iTunes, and Podcasts. He went on to start Rheo, a social video startup, but he has always had an interest in music. 'In the late '90s, when my friends were all using Napster, I was saying to them, 'What the hell, you like this music, why are you screwing the artist?'' Cannistraro told TechCrunch. 'It's always just been in my value system that artists need to be supported.' When Kesha, her brother Lagan, and Cannistraro started working together, Rasmussen became one of their first investors. Kesha even announced the app as part of Rasmussen's Panathēnea festival in Greece. 'Smash is a community platform for music creators. It's a place where you can go to connect, to create, and to hire, all while retaining the rights to what you create,' Kesha said at the festival. 'The goal is to shift the power back to the hands of the creators.' 'The contracting is safe — it's all transparent, and then you get to choose, and you get consent over where your art and where your voice goes, and how it goes into the world, all while retaining the rights to what you have just created,' she added. The Smash app remains a work in progress, intending to open to some artists later this year. But to test some of the tech tools that the company has created thus far, Smash hosted a contest where artists could submit remixes of Kesha's song 'Boy Crazy' — the five winners of the contest will have their remixes released on Kesha's record label for what Sebert calls an 'industry standard remix fee.' 'I regained the rights to my voice back for the first time in my adult life about one year ago, as a 37-year-old woman,' Kesha said at Panathēnea. 'Predatory deals like that are normal.' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- TechCrunch
With her app Smash, Kesha can be whoever she wants – even a tech CEO
Kesha – yes, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack Kesha – is now a startup founder. But if you think her journey from raunchy pop star to CEO is unexpected, then you haven't been paying attention. Kesha has always embraced contradictions. She exploded onto the pop scene in 2010 with irreverent ear candy like 'Blah Blah Blah' and 'TiK ToK,' stylizing her name with a dollar sign despite throwing shade at the egregious wealth of Hollywood. She didn't let people dismiss her as a one-dimensional, glitter-clad party girl. As beleaguered high schoolers studied for exams amid Kesha's rise to fame, they whispered in frustration about how the world's most famous party girl got a near-perfect score on the SAT, but turned down a full-ride to Barnard College to sing about peeing in champagne bottles. The biggest contradiction of Kesha's story is that despite living the dream of a pop star on the surface, her years in the spotlight were nightmarish behind the scenes. Now, drawing from her own experience suffering at the hands of predatory record contracts, Kesha is building an app called Smash, which is a way for musicians to find one another, make music together, and establish clear, artist-friendly contracts among collaborators. Smash aims to set itself apart by using a built-in system to generate contracts between artists. The terms of the contracts depend on what each artist decides — for example, a musician may decide to license a beat for set fee, or request a percentage of royalties over time. Smash would fund itself by taking a small cut of payments made through the app. 'One of the pieces of leverage, especially over younger music creators, is you need a way into the club,' Kesha's brother and Smash co-founder Lagan Sebert told TechCrunch. 'With Smash, we want to give music creators the keys to get into this club of professionals and other creators without them feeling like they have to sign anything away, or make any large decisions about the rest of their lives.' After establishing herself as a powerhouse pop star, Kesha sued her producer Dr. Luke in 2014 for alleged sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. He immediately countersued her for defamation, sparking a high-profile legal battle and reckoning with the dark side of pop music. Though Kesha sought to get out of her recording contract with Dr. Luke, the court ruled against her, forcing her to release three more albums with him. Techcrunch event Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. Tech and VC heavyweights join the Disrupt 2025 agenda Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They're here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don't miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise. San Francisco | REGISTER NOW It was only this month — on July 4, a date chosen very intentionally — that Kesha released an album without Dr. Luke for the first time. But regaining her own artistic agency isn't enough. Now that she is a fully independent artist, she wants to help ensure that other young musicians don't fall victim to exploitative record deals like she did. 'One of the things that really motivated her was when she went through this long legal battle to regain the rights to her voice, regain rights to her music,' Sebert said. 'I think the motivation behind Smash more than anything was to try to give music creators access to the community they need to create music independently.' Building the Band If Kesha and her brother were going to build an app, they were going to need some technological expertise. Years ago, Kesha attended an ACTAI Ventures event and met Lars Rasmussen, who co-founded Google Maps and was one of the first investors in design unicorn Canva. The two stayed in touch, and when it came time to build Smash, Rasmussen introduced her to Alan Cannistraro, who would become the app's CTO. Cannistraro spent over 12 years at Apple, where he worked on products for creatives like Final Cut; he also managed a team of engineers to build the first ever apps for iOS, like Remote, iBooks, iTunes, and Podcasts. He went on to start Rheo, a social video startup, but he has always had an interest in music. 'In the late '90s, when my friends were all using Napster, I was saying to them, 'What the hell, you like this music, why are you screwing the artist?'' Cannistraro told TechCrunch. 'It's always just been in my value system that artists need to be supported.' When Kesha, her brother Lagan, and Cannistraro started working together, Rasmussen became one of their first investors. Kesha even announced the app as part of Rasmussen's Panathēnea festival in Greece. 'Smash is a community platform for music creators. It's a place where you can go to connect, to create, and to hire, all while retaining the rights to what you create,' Kesha said at the festival. 'The goal is to shift the power back to the hands of the creators.' 'The contracting is safe — it's all transparent, and then you get to choose, and you get consent over where your art and where your voice goes, and how it goes into the world, all while retaining the rights to what you have just created,' she added. The Smash app remains a work in progress, intending to open to some artists later this year. But to test some of the tech tools that the company has created thus far, Smash hosted a contest where artists could submit remixes of Kesha's song 'Boy Crazy' — the five winners of the contest will have their remixes released on Kesha's record label for what Sebert calls an 'industry standard remix fee.' 'I regained the rights to my voice back for the first time in my adult life about one year ago, as a 37-year-old woman,' Kesha said at Panathēnea. 'Predatory deals like that are normal.'
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbia University adopts new definition of antisemitism, shuns pro-Palestinian group
NEW YORK — Months into its fight to restore federal funding revoked by the Trump administration over antisemitism claims, Columbia University has adopted a new set of policies that include refusing to meet with a coalition of student protesters who pitched tents in support of Gaza. The embattled school also agreed to adopt a definition of antisemitism that recognizes some criticism of Israel as discriminatory toward Jewish students. The late Tuesday announcement comes days after Columbia was reportedly nearing an agreement with the federal government — though acting President Claire Shipman suggested any deal they may reach is 'only a starting point for change,' rather than bending to external demands. 'The fact that we've faced pressure from the government does not make the problems on our campuses any less real,' Shipman wrote to students and faculty. Under the newly outlined plans, the university leader said Columbia has not recognized and will not negotiate with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, or CUAD, its representatives or allied student groups. It follows similar action taken by Barnard College, its sister school, in recent weeks. In spring 2024, CUAD took credit for the encampment that commandeered the main campus lawns, as its representatives met with university administrators over their demands to take down the tents. When talks failed, the college administration called the NYPD to clear the demonstration — twice. 'Organizations that promote violence or encourage disruptions of our academic mission are not welcome on our campuses and the University will not engage with them,' Shipman wrote. The announcement also said that Columbia's revised understanding of antisemitism will be based on what's known as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, or IHRA, Definition of Antisemitism. Colleges have increasingly used the framework to respond to campus protests — a development welcomed by many supporters of Israel but criticized by protesters who say it infringes on free speech. The definition states that some critiques of Israel as a Jewish state may cross a line into antisemitism, such as denying the Jewish people's right to self-determination or claiming that the existence of Israel is a racist endeavor. Comparing contemporary Israeli policy and that of Nazis would also be considered antisemitic under its terms. Adopting the IHRA antisemitism definition had been one of the Trump administration's prerequisites for resuming negotiations over the flow of federal funding. But Columbia had previously stopped short of fully embracing the approach in its disciplinary cases. 'The formal incorporation of this definition will strengthen our response to and our community's understanding of modern antisemitism,' Shipman said. CUAD acknowledged Shipman's email and her disavowal of the group on X, but reserved its most searing criticism for the new antisemitism definition. 'Columbia and Harvard adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism is a bold step toward protecting students — from having to hear critiques of genocide, apparently,' the group said. 'Soon, the IHRA definition of antisemitism will be standard across higher ed. Not to fight hate, but to criminalize dissent.' In addition, Shipman announced the creation of two new positions, Title VI and Title VII coordinators, to review and respond to reports of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Those individuals will contribute to an annual report to the president and Board of Trustees and reviewable by the public. Columbia will also launch training by the Anti-Defamation League and several other national Jewish organizations and build out programs focused on constructive dialogue. Brian Cohen, executive director of the campus Hillel, welcomed the steps as recognizing a campus antisemitism problem and its impact on Jewish students' sense of safety and belonging. 'I hope this announcement marks the beginning of meaningful and sustained change,' Cohen said. _____
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'Squad' Dem Ilhan Omar's daughter, 22, reveals embarrassing 'career' after college suspended her over Gaza protest
'Squad' member Ilhan Omar 's daughter has taken to selling her used clothes to pay the bills after she was suspended from college for her pro-Palestine protesting. Isra Hirsi, 22, took to Instagram this week to share how her life is going since being suspended from Columbia University 's liberal arts college, Barnard College, last year. 'Unemployment got me,' she said, adding that she is selling her clothes on thrifting platform Depop. Hirsi linked the Instagram story to her Depop profile for her 82,000 followers, where she had listed clothes including a pair of Dr. Marten boots for $50 and skirts for $15. One item that Hirsi has not put up for sale are her Versace sunglasses that she often wears in her social media posts, which retail for around $250, per Free Beacon. Despite being suspended for her anti-Israel demonstrations, Hirsi was allowed to graduate from the prestigious Barnard College on Columbia's New York City campus in May. She was arrested on the campus in April 2024 during a demonstration that turned hostile, and after she was suspended from the $90,000-a-year university, she claimed she was left homeless and starving on the street s. Hirsi was suspended for only a short time before Barnard lifted its sanctions on all student protesters amid internal pressure. When she graduated, Hirsi held a large Palestinian flag as she walked on stage to collect her diploma, and said on Instagram at the time that her graduation came 'despite what Barnard, Columbia and the internet wanted.' Hirsi followed in her congresswoman mother's footsteps with her ardent pro-Palestine protesting, and became one of the faces of student groups who overran college campuses to demonstrate against Israel. When Hirsi graduated earlier this year, Omar said in a statement she was 'overwhelmed with joy and gratitude' at getting to see her daughter collect her diploma despite her suspension. 'It's been an incredible four years of tremendous growth and challenges as she navigated college life through a pandemic, move to NYC and a righteous fight against Columbia University's support of genocide,' Omar wrote. 'I am so proud of you, Isra and I can't wait to see you flourish in the real world.' But Hirsi has apparently struggled since leaving college and said she remains unemployed months later. It is unclear if her unemployment is related to her anti-Israel protesting. However, a number of top law firms and corporations have pledged not to hire graduates who had been found to have taken part in pro-Palestine demonstrations. These include the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell and ExxonMobil, whose CEO Darren Woods said last year: 'Harassment and intimidation, I think there's no place for that at those universities and certainly no place for that at a company like ExxonMobil.' At the time of her arrest in April 2024, Hirsi was pictured pulling a worried face as she was put in handcuffs. Earlier in the day of her arrest, she defiantly said on social media: 'Those of us in Gaza Solidarity Encampment will not be intimidated. 'We will stand resolute until our demands are met. our demands include divestment from companies complicit in genocide, transparency of @Columbia 's investments and FULL amnesty for all students facing repression.'
New York Post
09-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Rep. Ilhan Omar's activist daughter unemployed, selling used clothes 15 months after arrest at Columbia anti-Israel protest
Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) daughter revealed Tuesday that she's unemployed after graduating from Barnard College — the elite school that suspended her last year after her arrest at a Columbia University anti-Israel protest. 'Unemployment got me,' Isra Hirsi captioned an Instagram Story selfie. The 22-year-old jobless activist is apparently getting by peddling some of her old clothes to her more than 82,000 followers on the social media platform. Advertisement 'I am now selling on [Depop]!! Check out if u wish,' Hirsi wrote, including a link to her page on the clothing resale app. 3 Hirsi revealed she's still unemployed following her graduation from Barnard in May. Instagram Multiple skirts, a pair of Dr. Martens boots and Hirsi's 'beloved multicolored striped cardigan' are among the items the keffiyeh-wearing college grad is looking to unload on the marketplace. Advertisement Hirsi was one of more than 100 anti-Israel protesters who were hauled away in cuffs by the NYPD last April after erecting a tent city on Columbia University's Morningside Campus. The self-described 'hyper-woke' member of the Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) group was suspended from Barnard College after her arrest, but the institution's president offered to lift the punishment less than a week later — after Hirsi claimed she was homeless and couldn't get food after being kicked out of the $90,000-per-year school. Hirsi graduated from Barnard in May. 'There is no greater joy as a parent than seeing your child succeed, and today I am overwhelmed with joy and gratitude to see my eldest daughter Isra Hirsi graduate college,' Omar wrote on Facebook at the time, sharing pics from commencement. Advertisement 'It's been an incredible four years of tremendous growth and challenges as she navigated college life through a pandemic, move to NYC and a righteous fight against Columbia University's support of genocide,' the Minneosta Democrat added. 'I am so proud of you, Isra and I can't wait to see you flourish in the real world.' 3 Omar praised her daughter's 'righteous fight against Columbia University's support of genocide' in a Facebook post celebrating her graduation from Barnard earlier this year. Shutterstock 3 Hirsi's suspension from Barnard was quickly overturned, and she was allowed to graduate in May. William C Lopez/New York Post Advertisement Several top law firms and American CEOs have vowed not to hire graduates who engaged in discrimination or harassment of Jewish students during anti-Israel college protests that swept the nation in late 2023 and 2024. It's unclear if Hirsi's unemployment is related to her anti-Israel activities at Columbia University or Barnard.
