Latest news with #KeshaRecords
Economic Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Kesha seeks seed funding for her 'LinkedIn-like' startup
Kesha has branched out from being a chart-topping pop star into a businesswoman. The singer behind the 2010 hit Tik Tok is looking to raise seed funding for her social media startup, Smash. In an Instagram post earlier this week, Kesha unveiled Smash as a "new community-based platform to connect and protect music creators." The motto aligns with her eponymous music label, Kesha Records, which she launched in September last year. Kesha's Smash app and her record label find their origins in a darker past involving a bitter legal battle with her producer, Lukasz "Dr Luke" Gottwald, over a predatory record deal she signed as a teenager. The LinkedIn-style app is meant to help creators connect, with the option to offer their services, similar to freelancing platform Fiverr, Kesha said in an interview with Wired. The app will prioritise artists' right where they are not forced to part with rights to their creations. "I want a place where artists and music makers of any kind can have community, they can collaborate, they can hire each other and retain all the rights to everything they create," Kesha said. "There's no gatekeeping of contacts." Kesha has onboarded Alan Cannistraro as the chief technical officer (CTO) for Smash. He was behind some of the first iOS apps during his 12 years at Apple, before leaving to work at Facebook, where he built the Year-In-Review feature. He then went on to start a social video platform called Rheo.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kesha is now a startup founder
Kesha may have taken the dollar sign out of her name, but now, the singer is thinking about money again -- not for herself, but to fund the seed round of her new startup, Smash. According to Kesha's Instagram post, Smash will be a "community-based platform to connect and protect music creators," which aligns with the mission of her new eponymous record label, which she announced last year. The 38-year-old chart-topper has always been more than a glitter-clad party girl singing about brushing her teeth with Jack Daniel's. Beneath her infectious 2010s pop music is a darker story -- one in which she felt stripped of her power, both as an artist and a person, by a predatory record deal that she signed when she was a teenager. After a traumatic public legal battle with her producer, Kesha now says that she is a "free woman," and she's making new music. Both her label, Kesha Records, and the app Smash seek to help others make music without compromising their creative rights. "I want a place where artists and music makers of any kind can have community, they can collaborate, they can hire each other and retain all the rights to everything they create," Kesha said in an interview with WIRED. "There's no gatekeeping of contacts." She went on to describe the app as "LinkedIn for music creators," or a "Fiverr-style marketplace." The difference is that Smash plans to prioritize artists' rights at every stage. Kesha's CTO on the project is Alan Cannistraro. He spent 12 years at Apple building some of the first iOS apps, then worked at Facebook, where he built the Year-In-Review feature. He left to start a social video platform called Rheo, which TechCrunch covered in 2016. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kesha is now a startup founder
Kesha may have taken the dollar sign out of her name, but now, the singer is thinking about money again -- not for herself, but to fund the seed round of her new startup, Smash. According to Kesha's Instagram post, Smash will be a "community-based platform to connect and protect music creators," which aligns with the mission of her new eponymous record label, which she announced last year. The 38-year-old chart-topper has always been more than a glitter-clad party girl singing about brushing her teeth with Jack Daniel's. Beneath her infectious 2010s pop music is a darker story -- one in which she felt stripped of her power, both as an artist and a person, by a predatory record deal that she signed when she was a teenager. After a traumatic public legal battle with her producer, Kesha now says that she is a "free woman," and she's making new music. Both her label, Kesha Records, and the app Smash seek to help others make music without compromising their creative rights. "I want a place where artists and music makers of any kind can have community, they can collaborate, they can hire each other and retain all the rights to everything they create," Kesha said in an interview with WIRED. "There's no gatekeeping of contacts." She went on to describe the app as "LinkedIn for music creators," or a "Fiverr-style marketplace." The difference is that Smash plans to prioritize artists' rights at every stage. Kesha's CTO on the project is Alan Cannistraro. He spent twelve years at Apple building some of the first iOS apps, then worked at Facebook, where he built the Year-In-Review feature. He left to start a social video platform called Rheo, which TechCrunch covered in 2016. Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data
TechCrunch
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TechCrunch
Kesha is now a startup founder
Kesha may have taken the dollar sign out of her name, but now, the singer is thinking about money again — not for herself, but to fund the seed round of her new startup, Smash. According to Kesha's Instagram post, Smash will be a 'community-based platform to connect and protect music creators,' which aligns with the mission of her new eponymous record label, which she announced last year. The 38-year-old chart-topper has always been more than a glitter-clad party girl singing about brushing her teeth with Jack Daniel's. Beneath her infectious 2010s pop music is a darker story — one in which she felt stripped of her power, both as an artist and a person, by a predatory record deal that she signed when she was a teenager. After a traumatic public legal battle with her producer, Kesha now says that she is a 'free woman,' and she's making new music. Both her label, Kesha Records, and the app Smash seek to help others make music without compromising their creative rights. 'I want a place where artists and music makers of any kind can have community, they can collaborate, they can hire each other and retain all the rights to everything they create,' Kesha said in an interview with WIRED. 'There's no gatekeeping of contacts.' She went on to describe the app as 'LinkedIn for music creators,' or a 'Fiverr-style marketplace.' The difference is that Smash plans to prioritize artists' rights at every stage. Kesha's CTO on the project is Alan Cannistraro. He spent twelve years at Apple building some of the first iOS apps, then worked at Facebook, where he built the Year-In-Review feature. He left to start a social video platform called Rheo, which TechCrunch covered in 2016.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kesha Updates Artwork for ‘Delusional' Single Following AI Criticism
Months after receiving backlash for utilizing AI-generated imagery for her 'Delusional' single, Kesha has announced new artwork for the track. First released in November 2025, 'Delusional' was issued as the second single from Kesha's forthcoming sixth album, . (Period). However, the track's original artwork – which depicted a number of handbags with the word 'delusional' spray painted on them, often incorrectly – was swiftly criticized for its use of generative AI. More from Billboard Lady Gaga Wins 2025 Sports Emmy for 'Hold My Hand' Pre-Super Bowl Tribute to Disaster Victims A$AP Rocky Teases New Song at Cannes During 'Highest 2 Lowest' Premiere 50 Cent Posts AI Picture of Himself Wearing 'Free Diddy' Shirt Kesha did not respond to the backlash, or address fans' requests to commission an actual artist to create new imagery for the single. However, on Tuesday (May 20), she took to social media to share new artwork for the single, along with an explanation for the update. 'When making the single art for my song 'Delusional,' I wanted to make the point that it's DELUSIONAL that the world expects artists to continue making art when we are so undervalued,' she explained. 'I tried to echo my ideas in the form of a political single cover. I've realized that living in alignment with my integrity is more important than proving a point. 'So I've decided to change the cover art for this song. She's one of my favorites.' Kesha also made a point to individually thank the creative team behind the artwork, including the photographer, videographer, stylists, and more. 'Thanks to my crew for helping me live out here in my highest and c–tiest potential,' she added. In closing her social post, Kesha also addressed the elephant in the room, directly shifting her focus to the work of AI and the toll it can take on real creatives in the process. 'AI is a Pandora's box that we as a society have collectively opened, and I think it's important that we keep human ramifications in mind as we learn how to use it as a tool and not as a replacement,' she explained. 'Just me healing, in real time.' The updated artwork arrives less than two months from the release of . (Period) on July 4 via her own Kesha Records label. It also arrives as her first LP since the 2023 settlement of a yearslong legal battle with Dr. Luke over Kesha's claims that he drugged and raped her in 2005, after which he sued her for defamation while calling the allegations 'false and shocking.' 'I'm really excited for the world to hear this, because I've been in control of everything,' she revealed on The Jennifer Hudson Show recently. 'It's been all of my vision, all of my words, a lot of hard work, a lot of joy,' she continued. 'Really coming back home to myself and feeling what freedom really looks like, feels like, sounds like.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
