Before salacious celebrities were celebrated and crop tops on pop-stars were as expected as an underwhelming Justin Timberlake feature, there existed a time of pure debauchery in music. Iconic raunchy bops like Don’t Trust Me propelled 30H3!’s star into orbit, proving to the world that party anthems were what the early 2010s needed. Icona Pop and Tove Lo rocked our minds, expanding the pop genre. We got hits from LMFAO (remember Red Fu and Sky Blue? Did you know they’re uncle and nephew?) and other standouts- but perhaps nobody shined brighter on their punk princess throne than Kesha. And she’s still glowing!

Her limitless commitment to self-expression, iconic cameo on Victorious that everyone my age (with TASTE) knows, and ability to not-give-a-flying-fuck while simultaneously singing some of the most heart-wrecking lyrics ever make Kesha my favorite forever.

Kesha's Love Is My Drug

There’s a meme I saw a few months ago that said something like “every closeted gay person grows up having an unhealthy, spiritual connection to a woman in pop music” and I think that’s more true than 2 + 2 = 4. Nellie Furtado, Marina and the Diamonds, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga- gays just love to cling to an empathetic musician. That's why the gays of the past were obsessed with Judy Garland and the Trolley song. It's our culture! Stanning before stan culture was even a thing, we’d meet and mingle with other fans on sites like Tumblr and other lost mediums. Their concerts became a safe space, even saying you’re a fan of a pop girly was a modern day ‘Friends of Dorothy’ situation. So many of these stars invited us to celebrate our authentic selves with them. We’re living in a queer pop revolution and I’m so here for it.

Kesha’s party-ready beats reflect her layered sense of self, represented through devastatingly clever lyricism. Like how Hans Christian Anderson allegedly penned the Little Mermaid about his inability to find true queer love, Kesha and these gay-adjacent singers give the LGBTQIA+ community an outlet to express what’s forever been repressed. We relate to Kesha’s party antics because even if we’ve never been to a “Party At A Rich Dude’s House”, we’ve surely felt the isolation that feeling alone at a party can bring. Different situations, sure, but we’ve walked several miles in similar shoes to her. Shoutout to trauma bonding! Kesha is more than just a rambunctious celebrity gays can get behind- she’s a warrior worth rooting for.

She’s always flown pride flags at her shows. I’ve seen Kesha in concert three times, and each was a gay experience full of joy and confident chaos. She’s an expert at connecting with her wacky audience and I hope you know she’s much more than just her top hits. So many buried gems in her music catalog have been on my mind for years. I feel it’s unfair to keep my favorites secret anymore. I’ll list my favorites below!

Kesha Catches Fire

From phenomenally poetic words about pain and pride, to catchy hooks about losing someone who probably never deserved you in the first place, topics of true love and real hate are paramount themes in Kesha’s songs. Kesha’s been through a lot and her openness in sharing this tumultuous journey makes her all the more authentic.

If you didn’t already know, Kesha has five full albums. I once wrote about how each represents a stage of grief. Each album is radically different, reflecting Kesha’s emotional state at the time (largely impacted by a complex lawsuit against an alleged abuser). After coming onto the scene with TikTok, Kesha continues her career releasing the following albums: Animal (2010), Warrior (2012), Rainbow (2017), High Road (2020), and finally Gag Order (2023). As she’s evolved as a person, so has her music. While different, the albums have a clear through-line: Kesha is unbeatable. 

I’m seeing her on November 3rd 2023 in New York with my friend Gaby. Best expect a glitter-filled performance that we’ll never forget. Kesha has always been the light at the end of my tunnel and I know she’ll be around making unmatched music for years to come. She’s dedicated, recovering, and a reminder that we can persevere our worst demons. The world is lucky to have a rainbow phoenix rising from the ashes like queen Kesha.

My Favorite and Gayest Kesha Songs (in chronological order of their release)

The Harold Song (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

A song about a boy you love is pretty spot-on gay. But this is so different from other power ballads, as Kesha sings about losing one of her first loves to a tragic accident. Pouring honesty from her emotional wounds, The Harold Song is a reminder to appreciate who you have before it’s gone.

Standout lyric:

They say that true love hurts

Well this could almost kill me

Young love murdered

That is what this must be

I would give it all to not be sleeping alone

Animal (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Gaga has her Little Monsters, Beyonce has the Beyhive, and Kesha has her Animals. Named after her first album, this breakout song has a message of self-acceptance, an ethereal melody, and Kesha forging her way forward as an animal in the industry. So proud of her going primal. The opening lyric sets the stage for Kesha’s entire philosophy.

Standout Lyrics:

I am in love with what we are

Not what we should be

Party At A Rich Dude’s House (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Could he be a sugar daddy? Or just a hot rich mutual friend who is throwing an unforgettable rager? Kesha weaves storytelling and fun lyrics into this smash song, making you want to party with her in a rich dude’s mansion. We’d dance the night away and she’d totally help me steal something expensive. Her queen card has been active since Tik Tok in 2009.

Standout Lyrics:

No, we're not on the list (C'mon, let's do it)

No, we don't give a shit (C'mon, let's do it)

Dance 'til your pants come off (C'mon, get naked)

Party 'til the break of dawn (C'mon, let's do it now)

Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Tragedy is often present in gay love lives, largely because heteronormative societal expectations end up encroaching on our already hard-lived realities. Have you ever watched someone dancing with a girl instead of you, on the dance floor? Middle school dance trauma is calling- will you answer? Kesha starts from a place of sorrow and misdirected rage- pretty queer.

Standout Lyrics:

Here we go, welcome to my funeral

Without you, I don't even have a pulse

All alone, it's dark and cold

With every move, I die

Stephen (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Not sure how or why this song didn’t get mainstream, it’s amazing. Desperate waiting for a guy to text back is so real, and stealing him from his girlfriend? Icon behavior. Just text her back, Stephen! In truth, the song is about how she was able to get anyone EXCEPT Stephen- turns out he actually called her in 2010 after the song came out!

Standout Lyrics:

Stephen (Stephen)

Why won't you call me? (Call me)

I'm sitting here waitin' (Waitin')

Why won't you call me?

Stephen (Stephen)

I'm feelin' pathetic (Feelin')

I can't take rejection (Stephen)

Why won't you call me?

Your Love Is My Drug (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

So often we can’t help falling for people we probably shouldn’t. Circumstance overwhelms rationale and we pine for pleasure. Treating love like the drug that it truly is proves Kesha’s metaphorical prowess. She also leads us to agree that even though she’s aware of the slippery-slope love and other drugs can bring, the high might be worth the chase. Some gambles are worth taking.

Also for my 17th birthday my friends surprised me with a flashmob to this song! Forever grateful.

Standout Lyrics:

I don't care what people say

The rush is worth the price I pay

I get so high when you're with me

But crash and crave you when you leave

We R Who We R (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Queer anthem comparable to Cool For the Summer by Demi Lovato. Embracing your weirdness is Kesha’s philosophy and We R Who We R encapsulates that perfectly. Life’s too short and dumb to stress about things, so just be young and dance.

Standout Lyrics:

Hot and dangerous, if you’re one of us then roll with us.

Praying (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Describing her ongoing journey of recovery, from past trauma and a toxic manager (we do not speak his name) to finding peace, Praying is one of the most powerful songs I’ve ever heard. You may remember Kesha and a collection of amazing performers sing Praying at the Grammys following the Me Too movement. It’s amazing to sit down and read the lyrics of this song. Her emotional maturity, Kesha’s ability to sift through the noise and find her own peace, is inspiring. She truly is a rainbow phoenix, triumphantly rising from the ashes, and is a rockstar role model for abuse survivors.

Standout Lyrics:

I'm proud of who I am

No more monsters, I can breathe again

And you said that I was done

Well, you were wrong and now the best is yet to come

'Cause I can make it on my own, oh

And I don't need you, I found a strength I’ve never known

I’ll bring thunder, I'll bring rain, oh-oh

When I’m finished, they won't even know your name

Finding You (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Finding your soulmate through time and space, reincarnated to seek their face. Love is eternal and Kesha captures that in Finding You. She sings about Maybe you’ll feel so strongly for another person that you could find them in the next lifetime? It doesn’t matter if you believe in rebirth or love, just that you hold onto love.  

Standout Lyrics:

I know forever don't exist

After this life, I'll find you in the next

When I say "forever, " it's the goddamn truth

I'll keep finding, finding you

Rainbow (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

If gays had a mascot it’d be the title of this song. Leprechauns too. This song is empowering and feels like it wakes up an inner spirit inside you. Take pride in yourself and look for the rainbows in the sky, because they’re there. She said to Metro News, “This song was a promise to myself, a promise that things would get better.”

Standout Lyrics:

You gotta learn to let go, put the past behind you

Trust me, I know, the ghosts will try to find you

Spaceship (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Ever felt like a stranger on this planet? Like maybe you don’t belong here at all. And that’s okay! Kesha tells us (lol I sound like she’s a prophet) that one day our spaceship will return for us, that our weirdness is not only justified, but natural. We don’t owe anybody answers for why we’re different, just know that even if our metaphorical ship doesn’t come back, at least we’re stuck on this floating rock together.

Standout Lyrics:

I knew from the start I don't belong in these parts

There's too much hate, there's too much hurt for this heart

Lord knows this planet feels like a hopeless place

Thank God I'm going back home to outer space

(She also reads this spoken word poem at the end that I need to share)

As I leave this Earth and sail into the infinite cosmic universe, the wars, the triumphs, the beauty, and the bloodshed, the ocean of human endeavor, it all grows quiet, insignificant. 

I'm nothing more than recycled stardust and borrowed energy, born from a rock spinning in the ether.

I watch my life backwards and forwards and I feel free. Nothing is real, love is everything, and I know nothing.

High Road (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Sometimes taking the High Road is hard. The incline is gross and there’s too much baggage. But Kesha convinces and motivates us to flip off the haters and thrive despite their bad vibes. As she preaches, it’s not worth stooping to another’s low level.

Standout Lyrics:

I'm taking the high road

I'm high as fuck and these assholes won't shut up

Got me laughing, I ain't losin' no sleep

Hymn (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

At first I was nervous because Hymns make me think of Christianity and that’s not at all what my music tends to be about. But Kesha sings an anthem for those who don’t fit in, collecting us like her loyal team and declaring that we’re worthy of love.

Standout Lyrics:

This is a hymn for the hymnless, kids with no religion

Yeah, we keep on sinning, yeah, we keep on singing

Flying down the highway, backseat of the Hyundai

Pull it to the front, let it run, we don't valet

Sorry if you're starstruck, blame it on the stardust

I know that I'm perfect, even though I'm fucked up

Hymn for the hymnless, don't need no forgiveness

'Cause if there's a heaven, don't care if we get in

This is a hymn, hymn, hymn for how we live, live, live

This is a hymn, hymn, hymn for how we live, for how we live

Shadow (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Kesha is a stronger person than me or you. To stare hate in the eye and say the below lyric takes a LOT of guts. Also, stream GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo, another super pop-punk queen. I always think of this when I see gross MAGA people, can I really look past the bigotry? Will showing love make a difference? Either way, Kesha’s song Shadow is here to be the support you need.

Standout Lyrics:

So get your shadow out of my sunshine

Out of my blue skies, out of my good times

So get your darkness out of my champagne

I'll be dancing in the rain

I'ma love you even though you hate me

I'ma love you even though you hate

Hate Me Harder (Spotify) (YouTube) (Lyrics)

Another defiant anthem to transphobes and anyone who hates ‘others.’ Kesha welcomes the hate, finding strength in their dismissal. It’s something queer people could find empowerment through, I know I’d be better off embracing the anger from scared heteros. I’ve been going to school board meetings and hearing how some NJ adults speak about queer people, like we’re diseased…. Not sure if I can handle that much hate. But knowing Kesha can give me the power to push through the bigotry.

Standout Lyrics:

So if hatin' me helps you love yourself

Do your worst, baby, give me hell

Hate me harder

Hate me harder

There's nothin' left that I haven't heard

And I can take it, so make it hurt

Hate me harder

Hate me harder