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The sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs is underway after opening statements were heard as the prosecution unveiled their star witness, Cassie Ventura, who took the stand. Among the harrowing details shared by Cassie Ventura, she added that her fear of Diddy’s anger is why she went along with the so-called “freak-off” parties.
We do wish to caution readers before proceeding, as some of the details within will be disturbing to some.
TMZ reports that prosecutors opened up their case on Tuesday (May 13) to discuss the allegations of sexual abuse, violence, coercion, and assault that occurred under Diddy’s watch and direction. Before Ventura took the stand, the prosecution shared that Combs forced his ex-girlfriend to have sex with male escorts, with one allegedly urinating in her mouth under Combs’ orders.
Ventura, who was accompanied by her husband Alex Fine to court, spoke about the 2016 beating at the hands of Combs, sharing that it happened shortly after a freak-off party. When asked why she participated willingly, Ventura shared that she was “confused, nervous. I wanted to make him happy.”
Prosecutors questioned if Ventura agreed to attend the initial freak-off party, and she did so without knowing it would be the start of more.
“Then there were more. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, at least not that frequently,” Ventura told the prosecutors. She added that the fear of retaliation and the threat that Diddy would release the video footage of the freak-off activities kept her from saying anything.
Ventura also told prosecutors that she provided evidence of the freak-off parties, sharing that she provided several laptops that allegedly contained said footage. Amid all of this, Ventura and Fine are expecting their third child.
On X, reactions to the opening statements are in, and we’ve got some listed below.
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Philly Music Fest is returning this fall with an expanded lineup, growing from seven to nine shows across the city from Oct. 13–19. Now in its ninth year, the nonprofit festival — founded and produced by husband-and-wife team Greg and Jenn Seltzer — spotlights local talent while raising funds for Philadelphia-based music education charities. This year’s headliner is The Wonder Years, the acclaimed American rock band from nearby Lansdale.
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The festival is held exclusively at independently owned venues throughout the city. Greg Seltzer oversees production, booking, curation, and overall operations, while Jenn Seltzer manages merchandise, hospitality, and accounting. Together, the couple estimates the festival generates an annual economic impact of approximately $600,000 for local venues, hotels, and restaurants.
“I want PMF to annually be the best week of music in Philly,” says Greg Seltzer. “PMF is a chance to not only see headliners treat the local audience to unimaginable underplays at small venues, but we annually feature a curated lineup of emerging bands that are poised to break-out.”
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The festival includes a “surprise” headliner for the Oct. 13 and 14 shows at Ardmore Music Hall.
“The surprise headliner is not ideal, but it’s also a luxury,” he says. “As a nonprofit, we can pay national headliners to play smaller than typical rooms, which involves less risk for PMF and the venue, and we can also employ a strategy whereby we announce a show late, sometimes because the band is playing in market, and since we are a nonprofit without the demands of cash flow and profit – we can remain patient and ultimately deliver an incredible experience to our fans.”
The Wonder Years will headline two nights at Underground Arts on Oct. 17 and 18. Setzer noted he’s been trying to book the local heroes for the past five years, “but honestly – the band got too big, as they played two nights at the Fillmore and could easily play much bigger rooms. The timing just worked this year and fortunately, the band and management just really ‘get it’ and recognize the work and mission of PMF.”
Also participating in this year’s festival are Matt Quinn, Greg Mendez, Catie Turner, Deadguy, Nazir Ebo, Black Buttafly and more. Tickets go on sale here at 10 a.m. Eastern on May 16.
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The tracklist for SEVENTEEN‘s fifth studio album has arrived, and the surprises it features will have fans bursting with excitement.
As revealed Tuesday (May 13) in a video posted to the band’s social media accounts, Happy Burstday will feature a total of 16 tracks — 13 of which are solo songs, one for each member. Displayed in the clip on stickers pasted all over the inside of a silver phone booth, THE 8’s solo track is titled “Skyfall,” JOSHUA’s is titled “Fortunate Change,” WONWOO’s is titled “99.9%,” SEUNGKWAN’s is titled “Raindrops,” HOSHI’s is titled “Damage,” MINGYU’s is titled “Shake It Off,” DK’s is titled “Happy Virus,” Vernon’s is titled “Shining Star,” DINO’s is titled “Trigger” and S.COUPS’ is titled “Jungle.”
The remaining three solo tracks are stylized in Korean. WOOZI’s translates to “Fate,” JUN’s translates to “Gemini,” and JEONGHAN translates to “Chance,” according to Google Translate.
In addition to letting each of the 13 bandmates shine individually, Happy Burstday will also include three full-group songs. Listed as the first three tracks in the tracklist, the full-band songs are called “HBD,” “Thunder” and “Bad Influence.”
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But that’s not all. The album will also feature collaborations with two titans of the music industry, with Pharrell Williams producing “Bad Influence” and HOSHI joining forces with Timbaland on solo track “Damage.”
The tracklist reveal comes a few weeks after SEVENTEEN announced that Happy Burstday would be arriving May 26, following 2022’s Face the Sun. The latter LP reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The boy band has also released three mini albums in the past three years: FML, Seventeenth Heaven and Spill the Feels, which reached Nos. 2, 2 and 5 on the chart, respectively.
Happy Burstday will arrive right in time for SEVENTEEN’s 10th anniversary, which the group plans to celebrate with a performance on Jamsugyo Bridge in Seoul the day before the new album drops.
Watch SEVENTEEN’s tracklist unveiling below.
Damiano David is releasing his debut solo album ‘FUNNY little FEARS’ this Friday, May 16th, and the Italian singer shares why he transitioned from a band to going solo, songwriting with his girlfriend Dove Cameron, working with Labrinth on “Silverlines,” going on tour and more!
Are you excited for ‘FUNNY little FEARS?’ Let us know in the comments below!
Rania Aniftos:
Hey everybody, it’s Rania Aniftos with Billboard News, and I’m so excited to be here today with Damiano David, welcome!
Damiano David:
Hello.
What an exciting time for you. I mean, you’re gearing up for your next musical era. You’ve released three singles so far: “Next Summer,” “Born With a Broken Heart” and “Silverlines.” So tell me a bit about how you’re choosing to release these singles to kind of introduce this musical era for you.
For me, it’s literally all about, like, instinct and feelings. These were the first three songs I wrote for the record. And so it’s kind of funny that they are actually the singles, but I didn’t know at the beginning, but I always felt like the songs were strong, and since the beginning, I knew they were going to be part of the record. And again, there’s not much strategy around it. It’s literally like a feeling. I like this. I released it.
I mean, I love that. That’s the way to go, because it keeps it fun for you too, and it keeps it authentic. And speaking of authentic, each of these three singles, while they are different in a lot of ways, they still sound like you, but you’re clearly exploring what was that like, getting in the studio and working out different sounds and kind of introducing Damiano to people.
That was very fun. It was a new practice for me because I was used to kind of knowing the sound that we wanted with the band…
Keep watching for more!
Rosie Greenway / GTA 4
GTA VI won’t arrive till next year, but now there are rumors of a remaster of one of the most underrated entries into the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and a former developer feels it needs to happen.
Word on the video game streets is that 2008’s GTA IV is getting a remaster for current consoles, and Ex-Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij would love to see Niko Bellic make a triumphant return.
Vermeij, who worked at DMA Design, which later became Rockstar North, from 1995 until 2009 on titles like Space Station Silicon Valley, Manhunt, and other fan-favorite GTA titles, was asked how he feels about a remaster of GTA IV.
“I hadn’t heard those rumours. I think GTA 4 should be remastered. It’s a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently,” he told the person on X, formerly Twitter.
Unlike other studios, Rockstar Games doesn’t often get into its remastering bag. They did attempt with Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, which was a disaster at launch.
Vermeij spoke on that lackluster remaster in the past, noting that if Rockstar Games decides to do a remaster, “It would be better if Rockstar did quality remasters of their classic games.”No lies detected.
Again, there is no confirmation that Rockstar Games is working on a remaster of GTA 4. Honestly, based on the game studios’ track record, we won’t be shocked if the game is just a straight port with minimal improvements like the other classic titles brought back, like LA Noire and Red Dead Redemption.
We got our fingers crossed on this one.
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Dating rumors got a bit of a boost on Monday night (May 12) as Cardi B and NFL star Stefon Diggs enjoyed their first public date night cheering on the New York Knicks during the team’s game five win over the Boston Celtics. The two have been rumored to be an item on social media […]
“I don’t like saying it in my accent,” PinkPantheress timidly says of her mixtape title, which was later revealed to be Fancy That, during her late March visit to Billboard.
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Rocking a plaid top dress, dark navy jeans and black flats that could’ve been on an Aeropostale mannequin circa ’07, the U.K. native gushes about house artists like Basement Jaxx and early Calvin Harris influencing her nine-track mixtape.
“I feel like nobody’s really tapped into these fully since the eclipse of [their] genre. I was like, ‘Let me try to do it and see what I can do here,’” the 24-year-old says. “Just because I’m such a fan of it and I was very inspired by it. I haven’t felt really inspired in a long time.”
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Holed up in her London home, PinkPantheress got to work as the project began to take shape over the course of two months. After some back-and-forth file transferring and tinkering with producer Axsel Arvid, Pink’s skittering production met her plush vocals while still maintaining her signature DIY raw experimentation.
She dug through the crates while pulling on samples from the aforementioned Basement Jaxx to Panic! at the Disco and even Nardo Wick’s “Who Want Smoke??” for her most sonically potent work to date. “I made something that kind of incorporated my two projects into one super project,” the Billboard Women in Music 2024 Producer of the Year adds.
PinkPantheress is reserved yet charming in conversation as she opens up about learning she wasn’t “an arena artist” after touring with Olivia Rodrigo, being the subject of plenty of memes, her global crossover appeal and acting aspirations.
How did you end up in Jack Harlow’s “Just Us” video?
Jack messaged me and asked me if I could be in the video. I asked if I could hear the song and he was like, “No, you can not.” I don’t really do cameos or anything, especially not for bigger artists because I get worried and scared of public perception. But he was like, “You need to trust me that I’ll make you look cool.” Then I just did it and it was really fun.
How did you get in the zone for this mixtape? What did you set out to do?
I wanted to create a project that reflected my progress as a producer. I made something that kind of incorporated my two projects into one super project. I produced a lot of it in London in my house. I listened to a lot of U.K. music. A specific era, a lot of Basement Jaxx, a lot of Calvin Harris.
I created the beats on my laptop and then I sent them to this producer I was working with from Norway called Axsel [Arvid]. We went back-and-forth and made the beats and I recorded really quickly. It was done in like two months.
Being a perfectionist in the studio, do you have to go back in and tweak stuff or once it’s done, it’s done?
Figuratively and physically and always literal, I am a tweaker. I am always going back and [asking], “What can I do here that I want to change?” I was actually fairly chill on this project because the more you perfect something, for me as an artist, people definitely prefer when I sound more DIY and raw. So I was trying to keep it as raw as possible.
I love how you flipped Nardo Wick’s “Who Want Smoke??” on “Noises.”
I love that song. I really like Nardo Wick and 21 Savage. I wasn’t even trying to use it until I was writing my song. I was like, “Oh, it would be cool to have a break in the beat where it’s the bass going [hits table].” They do the same thing. I was like, I might as well pay homage and put his voice in it. I actually wonder if he’s heard it and I wonder what he thought. He probably thought it was ass. I wanna know what he thinks. I wanna personally find out what he thinks. Obviously, it’s drum and bass now. It’s a whole different genre.
What do you think about your crossover popularity? How do you gauge it as far as your fans in the U.K. and your fans in the U.S.?
Even though my music is more genre-based in the U.K., I’d say I have more fans in America. I think in a weird way, the U.K. is more hip to drum and bass and the music I make, so me coming out after we’ve had a history of women that I’m influenced by — like Lily Allen and Imogen Heap, that’s where they were most respected and adored. I’d say the majority of British people are more used to my sound, so it’s probably not as much, “Whoa, what is this!,” as Americans are. [American] People in general speak of me as more an innovator or pioneer, whereas people in the U.K. will celebrate the fact I’ve been able to cross over and get the features I have. America’s just different.
I feel like the internet has kind of united all nations. It’s not as clear to me these days who’s British and who’s American, because the culture is the same amongst the internet. We all watch the same streamers and listen to the same music, so there’s not much of a divide anymore. You’re big everywhere these days.
How does having hearing loss in one ear affect your creative process?
I can’t mix anymore. I struggle with the high end of some of the instruments. I have to get someone else to mix and master now, which I used to do myself.
Will Fancy That lead up to an album later this year, or does it exist in its own universe?
I feel like it’s [the latter]. I want it to exist, but it’s weird because I feel like any body of work these days [is overlooked]. For me, personally, a body of work is a body of work. I’ll call it something different, but realistically, I want it to do the same thing. I want it to impact the same — even though technically it’s not an album, I still want to treat it as such.
I saw a tweet going viral saying, “u a boy turn that PinkPantheress off.” What do you think about that? The guys can’t listen too?
Everyone can enjoy my music. Honestly, I need those streams, so I’ll take whatever gender you are.
u a boy turn that pinkpantheress off— nani (@charredapple) March 23, 2025
When you’re making music, is it ever toward a specific gender?
When I make music, I make music for people that look exactly like me. I’m not even just talking about being a girl. I make music for people that are East African, I make music for people that live in these cities who dress like me and have the same hairstyle as me. When I’m making music, I’m thinking of somebody that looks identical to me. I’m talking about the wig down to the clothes. Everything. I visualize myself listening to my music first before I think about anybody else.
I literally am so at my demographic of fans. There’s gamers, K-Pop fans, people that are full of themselves, street n—as and people who call themselves cutesy girls and emos. It’s really such a reach of people. I never thought to myself, “Oh, this is what my fans are gonna like.” When I go to my shows and I see a diverse crowd and different races, I’m very happy. I always felt when I was younger that I was always the only person of color in that room. I especially love having Black people in my crowd. It’s so important to me, because when you’re making drum and bass, people aren’t expecting certain people to enjoy it. When I see those people there, I’m like, “Yeah.” It got through. It’s really cool to see.
How was meeting André 3000?
It was really brief, but really sick. I was in Paris, and it was coming out of the Alexander McQueen show. Oh my God, he was with Laura Roach as well. I was like, “Oh my God, this isn’t real life.” I wasn’t gonna take a photo with him, but my publicist was like, “You need to do this for your future self.” It was very crazy. He didn’t know who I was, which is perfectly fine, but just the fact he still stopped for a photo was really nice. I thought he was gonna be like, “F–k off.” Him and his flute. I actually didn’t come out with words like, “Can I get a picture?” Just the fact that he was so willing. Someone like him doesn’t need to stop. He was with Laura Roach, but they were by themselves, no security.
I saw another photo of you at the Vivienne Westwood show at Paris Fashion Week next to Ice Spice and Chappell Roan. What are those conversations like? Was that the first time you’ve seen Ice in a while?
It actually was. When we both up like, “Oh my God, you’re here, yay!” When you see someone you’re friends with at one of these things, it’s like being back at school and being sat next to your friend that you really have fun with, because it can be so daunting.
That was the first time I met Chappell, and she’s so nice and cool. She’s really friendly. I actually think we’re quite similar in those situations. Being at the Vivienne Westwood show front row is one of the most magical things ever. There are some elements that can make it really daunting. Then you have photographers fighting over stuff. No one’s gagging to be part of that experience but at some point you have to get a bit stoic. I was definitely breaking into stoicness.
Could we ever get another collab with Ice Spice?
I’d do it for sure on the right song.
What did you think about Usher’s son taking his phone and DMing you?
He’s funny. I actually have met him twice now. He’s a really huge fan. He’s always at my shows. Whenever we’re close to Atlanta, he’s always coming. He’s really cute and when that happened, I don’t know what my reaction was. I was like, “Is this a joke?” I was sure of it. I kinda feel like I knew about him before I saw a message, but he’s a really funny guy. If your dad was Usher, I might do that, if I were a big fan of someone. I actually probably would. Usher’s so sweet, too. I met him on FaceTime.
You’re very online and adept with online culture. Do you see a lot of these tweets and stuff about you going viral?
Not always, but recently I’ve been really on top of it because I just downloaded Twitter. Only to speak with my group chats because that’s where they are. Sometimes I scroll the timeline. I feel like I’m now part of these and I get jokes now. Whereas before, I felt like I was alone.
How was opening up for Olivia Rodrigo, and what’s one thing you’ve taken from her and incorporated?
I did six or seven shows I think. It was definitely very difficult for me. I enjoyed it a lot — because, one I got to see her perform live, and she’s amazing. She’s an actual force. Watching her and how she combats an arena and how she actually does the arena, made me realize, “Wow, some people are arena artists and some people are not.” I’m not an arena artist. That’s something I learned about myself. What I learned from her is there are ways you can approach an arena and interact with people in the up theres or the far backs. She did that and is amazing at it.
What happened when I watched her was, I saw my own failing and my own incapabilities, and I was like, “I’m not an arena artist.” That’s not for a lack of trying. It just made me realize there are some things in life as an artist you’re told you should try one day — but for me, I think I’m one of those artists where I’m comfortable is where I always strive. When I’m pushed to do something because it’s the right thing to do as an artist, because it’s an arena, I feel like the opportunity is the most amazing thing I had and I’m so happy I did it. It made me realize like this whole thing is not for me to do. It’s for powerhouses like her. I’m not a powerhouse artist, I’m very much on my chill s–t. I’m not a performance-based artist.
So it made me realize that difference. It distraught me that there were any sufferings to that leg of the tour for her because of my shortcomings. I wish I could do have done it the whole way through, but I feel like I was gonna be detrimental to myself.
It was interesting you said you learned that about yourself, not being an arena artist. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an artist say that.
I’m not an arena artist, I’m not a stadium artist. I feel like there’s obviously ways I could make myself an arena artist. You can get the dancers, do the training, get the stage presence. I can go through training from now until two years later and see where I’m at. But I still don’t think my music belongs in an arena. I think my music belongs in a more intimate setting. As an artist, I think my fanbase appreciates more intimate settings.
Is there anything outside of music that you’d like to accomplish?
I’d like to do acting one day. I’m really meek, so we’ll see one day. I need to get more confident.
What do you hope fans take from this mixtape?
Sonically, I genuinely feel it’s my best work, so I hope that is the most obvious thing to come out of it. I think my fans are kind of divided about what their favorite projects are. I feel like a lot of people prefer my first project, while a lot of people prefer my second. This is kind of like a blend of both.
Tencent Music Entertainment (TME) said on Tuesday a 17%-surge in music subscription revenue drove higher first quarter revenue for China’s fast-growing streaming platform.
Total revenues rose 8.7% to RMB7.36 billion (US$1.01 billion), with music subscription revenue up 16.6% to RMB4.22 billion (US$581 million) for the quarter ending March 31, 2025, compared to the same time period a year ago. TME’s total subscriber base now stands at 122.9 million, up 8.3% from a year ago. While that is still less than half of Spotify’s total number of paying subscribers — Spotify reported 268 million subscribers in the first quarter — it drove monthly average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) up to RMB11.4 ($1.57) from RMB10.6 ($1.47) a year ago.
“With the sound foundations we have built, a thriving music ecosystem, and healthy financial position, we are well equipped to navigate global uncertainties,” TME’s executive chairman Cussion Pang said in a statement. “We remain on track … to achieve sustainable growth in 2025.”
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The Chinese music streaming company operates three music streaming services — Kugou Music, QQ Music and Kuwo Music — as well as WeSing, a karaoke app. In recent years, Tencent Music’s business has become dominated by music services, while its social entertainment business has declined.
Online music revenue increased by nearly 16% to RMB5.80 billion (US$800 million) from a year ago, driven by the rise in music subscription revenues and an increase in advertising revenue. The business also benefitted from higher merchendise revenue from physical album sales for artists like Teens in Times and Silence Wang, and offline performance revenue.
Chinese genres are still the most popular music streamed on its platform, TME executives said, but the growing popularity of Korean, English and Japanese tracks on Tencent Music drove the company to expand existing partnerships with South Korea’s Starship Entertainment and YG Entertainment and Japan’s ACG entertainment company during the quarter.
The company also disclosed it signed a new multi-year licensing agreement with Sony Music Entertainment and extended agreements with Emperor Entertainment Group and Rock Records during the quarter.
TME’s social entertainment business, which has been in decline in part due to government crackdowns on social platforms, fell by nearly 12% to RMB1.55 billion (US$214 million). TME said the decline was “mainly the result of adjustments to certain live-streaming interactive functions and more stringent compliance procedures implemented.”
The strength in subscription revenues drove TME’s gross margin to 44.1% from 40.9%, with a total operating profit of RMB4.84 billion (US$666 million) in the first quarter of 2025, a whopping 146.9% increase from a year ago. Net profit attributable to equity holders was RMB4.29 billion (US$591 million), representing 201.8% year-over-year growth.
The company also said it received 2% equity stake in Universal Music Group in March as a result of a “distribution-in-kind from one of our associates” worth RMB2.37 billion (US$327 million).
Pershing Square Holdings, the hedge fund run by UMG board member Bill Ackman, sold 50 million shares of its UMG holdings — approximately 2.7% of UMG’s outstanding stock — in mid-March as part of a campaign to get UMG to list in the United States.
After a 28-city international leg that included London’s O2 and Dublin’s 3Arena, stand-up comedian, actor and writer Shane Gillis announced the extension of his Shane Gillis Live tour to 10 additional U.S. cities on Tuesday (May 13).
The new dates — which have been scheduled in July, August and September — will take Gillis to arenas in Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Louisville, Ky.; St. Louis, Mo.; Detroit; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Milwaukee; Houston; Hollywood, Fla.; and Orlando, Fla.
Representatives for Gillis said in an announcement that the added performances, which will be promoted by Outback Presents, come in response to “a staggering demand for tickets across the U.S., Canada and European dates,” adding that Gillis has “set the all-time ticket sales record at six arenas,” including Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena and achieved historic sellouts at 11 more, including Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center and Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., marking each of the venue’s largest comedy shows ever.
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Gillis, who hails from Mechanicsburg, Pa., and is lifelong avid Notre Dame University football fan — his grandfather and cousin played for the team, and he appeared in an Under Armour commercial for the blue and gold — is slated to co-headline the stadium there with Zach Bryan and Dermot Kennedy on Sept. 6. If that show sells out, it will surpass the world record for the largest single-show attendance for a comedian in history. (Gillis does not report box-office results to Billboard Boxscore.1
Gillis has emerged as a comedy phenomenon over the last five years, despite being hired as a Saturday Night Live cast member in 2019 and then dismissed before the season began after examples of him using racist language on podcasts. He has since become a touring behemoth, the Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast he hosts with comedian Matt McCusker consistently ranks in the top 15 of Spotify’s U.S. Comedy charts, and on June 5, the second season of his series, Tires, will debut on Netflix. He has also hosted SNL twice — in 2024 and 2025.
Artist presale sign-up and tickets are available on Shane Gillis’ website.
Patreon presale will begin Tuesday, May 13, at 10:30 a.m. CT
Artist presale will begin Wednesday, May 14, at 10 a.m. local
General on sale begins Friday, May 16, at 10 a.m. local
Shane Gillis
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The party don’t stop for Kesha‘s biggest hit, “Tik Tok,” which has remained one of the most popular songs from the late 2000s more than a decade later. But according to the pop star, she originally thought the track was “too dumb” when she first wrote it.
While serving as a guest on The Jennifer Hudson Show Tuesday (May 13), Kesha recalled being blown away by the success of “Tik Tok” after it dropped in 2009. “No, oh my god,” she said when asked whether she ever expected it to become such a big hit.
“When I was writing ‘Tik Tok,’ it was weird, because the dumber it got, the better it got,” the “Praying” singer continued. “Which was confusing, because I like to think of myself as a fairly intelligent human being. But it just got dumber and dumber and better and better.”
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Kesha added, “When I listened to the final product, I was like, ‘This is too dumb.’”
Regardless, there was nothing dumb about what the track would do for her career. “Tik Tok” would launch the California native to superstar status, becoming not just her first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry, but her first No. 1 on the chart. It would also remain in the top spot for nine weeks, her longest run at the chart’s summit, and helped Kesha’s first album, Animal, debut atop the Billboard 200.
Fifteen years later, the musician is gearing up to release her sixth studio album, . (Period), her first LP under her own label, Kesha Records. Her departure from Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records — the founder of which also produced much of Animal — comes after 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.” Their ensuing legal battle continued for nine years before the two parties finally reached a settlement in 2023.
Of finally getting to release music fully on her own terms, Kesha told Hudson, “I’m really excited for the world to hear this, because I’ve been in control of everything.”
“It’s been all of my vision, all of my words, a lot of hard work, a lot of joy,” she continued, tearing up. “Really coming back home to myself and feeling what freedom really looks like, feels like, sounds like.”
Watch Kesha’s conversation with Hudson below.
