It has been a few weeks since there's been an update on the ongoing lawsuit between Kesha and Lukasz Gottwald, more commonly known as Dr. Luke. But now, there's pretty big news coming from Sony regarding the studios relationship with the controversial producer: Dr. Luke is no longer the CEO of Kemosabe Records, which he helped create in 2011. This also means that he has no authority to act on behalf of the Sony brand, as The Hollywood Reporter reports. Additionally, his website affiliated with Sony Music has been removed. It's unclear right now if Sony is cutting all ties with Dr. Luke, but an insider sources tells THR "the two sides are in the midst of negotiating a split."
It seems that Sony is finally done with Dr. Luke. But, what does this mean in the grand scheme of Kesha's troubling claims about her former collaborator and boss? It means, quite frankly, that Sony should have done this about two years ago. It would have showed a greater solidarity for the young singer who had accused their employee of inexcusable behavior and alleged emotional abuse. With this split, it's unclear if Dr. Luke is still in possession of the contract Kesha signed with him, or if Kesha is finally free from the binds of Kemosabe Records.
Recently, Kesha led a panel discussion at SXSW with Refinery29's Amy Emmerich where she spoke on the subject of bullies and trolls. She made it clear that she is working on moving past her difficult time at Sony to work not only on new music, but also on herself. “It's empowering to sit with my imperfections and be real and vulnerable. In truth, there's real power,” she said. “I used to nitpick everything and it was fucking exhausting. Now I'm feelin' myself."