The hashtag #FreeKesha was trending on Twitter again on Monday, following a series of tweets in which out transgender pop star Kim Petras defended herself against renewed criticism over her collaborations with producer Dr. Luke.
On Sunday, the “Unholy” singer posted a tweet saying simply, “get talented or good at anything then talk to me.” As Vulture notes, it’s unclear what prompted the now-deleted tweet, but the message resurfaced criticism of Petras’s work with Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald.
“Stop defending dr luke first then,” one fan commented.
Kesha accused Gottwald of sexual abuse in 2014. The producer has denied the allegations and is suing Kesha for defamation.
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Petras has been criticized for continuing to work with Gottwald. In 2018, she insisted that she had “a really good experience” working with him and would do it again. “I would like my fans to know that I wouldn’t work with somebody I believe to be an abuser of women, definitely not,” she told NME, seemingly dismissing Kesha’s allegations.
Gottwald produced her 2022 EP Slut Pop, but following the November 11 release of “If Jesus Was a Rockstar,” Petras’s first solo single to not feature Gottwald as a producer, she hinted that their collaborations may have come to an end. “I had a lot of great times with the people I worked with, but it’s also time for me to be my own person, and do my own s**t, and explore what’s out there. It definitely took a little courage for me to do that right now,” she told i-D recently.
On Sunday, however, Petras responded by defending herself. “5000000 ppl work with him why y’all only coming at me,” she tweeted of Gottwald. “I have nothing to say or be ashamed of at all. Go away.”
Kim Petras defends her decision to work with Dr. Luke, the alleged rapist of Kesha, in a now deleted tweet.
“I have nothing to say or be ashamed of. go away.” pic.twitter.com/xbdQYLV5Ez
— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 27, 2022
Petras has since deleted the tweet, but #FreeKesha began trending soon after, with fans slamming Petras’s comments.
On Monday, Kesha took to Twitter herself, simply posting “Thank you,” seemingly in response to the support from fans.
Thank you.
— kesha (@KeshaRose) November 28, 2022