Some of you may (again, for some reason!), be thinking "well isn't Lady Gaga similar in style?" The answer is a resounding no. Here's where I hand in my mancard: Lady Gaga is actually a good musician. She is a pianist and she 
understands what makes a song good and bad (or at least her producers do). Her voice is actually damn good, and while some of her songs are weak (I loathe "Poker Face"), her music is actually tolerable and dare I even say... good? "Bad Romance" especially, has burrowed into my brain and not escaped my head for months. Sure, she tries to overdo herself with her fashion choices and makeup (something that Ke$ha is also slowly implementing), but that's a shock value thing. It helps you remember who Lady Gaga is, and it just adds to her flair. Gives her a personality. She just isn't a drunk who lucked into a contract by virtue of people trying to find someone to imitate Gaga.
Ke$ha is the biggest black eye in a business that admittedly has its fair share of bruises and embarrassments. Her songs may have a catchy hook, but there's no imagination or energy behind it, and her live performances are so pathetic if you watch them while half asleep you'll think you switched on public access by mistake.The very fact that her career is even a career is not only puts the music business in a negative light (really guys? REALLY?!?), but it puts America in a negative light because we are eating this up like it's actually good. It isn't whatsoever, and with any luck, people will eventually open their eyes and Ke$ha will end up back in the bar she was found in, hopped up on whatever drug she decided to take that day.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know. I want to see if anyone is willing to fess up to liking Ke$ha in any way that isn't ironic.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Paul
Couldn't agree more.
2 - Jordan Richardson
If you don't find value in a particular performer, that's fine. But suggesting it puts "America" in a bad light is just a lame hyperbolic statement.
There's been far worse artists than Ke$ha throughout the passage of time and somehow "America" has survived and so has the music industry.
Remember Willa Ford? Exactly.
Oh, and people don't need to "open their eyes" and accept your version of "good music." If somebody finds enjoyment from this sort of thing, good for them.
3 - El Bicho
you know, it's kinda of silly to call out an artist's spelling when 1) song titles don't follow the same rules of English and 2) when the first sentence of your bio has a couple of errors
4 - Jonathan Sullivan
@Jordan: Yeah, I admit that the "America" line went too far, but at that moment, I felt it was deemed necessary. It originally had "A Stream of Consciousness Rant" in the title because that's what it was, and regardless of that one line, I stand by what I said. It's an opinion piece. A super hyperbolic opinion piece, but an opinion piece nonetheless.
@El Bicho: Good catch on that spelling error bud, I wrote that thing awhile back and never looked at it again. The misspelling of song titles has been a long pet peeve of mine, and unless they are inventing different words, I don't let that slide regardless if I like the band or not. It comes off stupid to me, and it's no different here.
5 - Jordan Richardson
The misspelling of song titles has been a long pet peeve of mine
But can it really be considered a mistake if it's done on purpose? It's not as though Ke$ha's record label, producers and so forth had no clue how to properly spell "Tik Tok," is it?
I mean, do you really think Ice Cube's "What They Hittin' Foe" is titled as such because the guy doesn't know how to spell the word "for?"
6 - Jonathan Sullivan
That was meant more that she chose to spell it in such a dumb way rather than she couldn't, but I see how the English teacher reference would make people think otherwise. I guess I was trying to think of how my English teacher, who knows I can spell correctly, would scoff and just roll her eyes if I started spelling things wrong just because.
7 - El Bicho
Does this English teacher also dislike when poets fail to use punctuation or properly capitalize? And why is Ke$ha's spelling dumb exactly? Seems just as arbitrary to include letters that aren't needed.
8 - Victor Lana
I've seen her on SNL; her voice is like fingernails on a blackboard. There's nothing wrong with America but plenty wrong with her voice.
9 - Jonathan Sullivan
And isn't that sad in a way? I mean, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera could at least sing, regardless of how they marketed themselves. It's like the actual singing doesn't matter anymore.
As for the spelling issue, I had a talk with my friend and he made a good point about "artistic flourish", so I guess I can just leave it at that. This argument will just go on and on and that really isn't the point of this opinion piece.
10 - Anna
I totally agree. Hopefully in a few years we'll look back and laugh that her career even existed. And Katy Perry's too.
11 - Jordan Richardson
It's like the actual singing doesn't matter anymore.
Why would you say that? Because you can cite a few examples of people who don't sing to a particular level. I hesitate to say that Ke$ha can't sing, by the way, because I'm sure her "style" is reflective of the marketing campaign around her. She may well be able to sing quite well.
Hopefully in a few years we'll look back and laugh that her career even existed.
I hate comments like this.
As much as I don't personally enjoy the music of Ke$ha or Justin Bieber or Smashmouth or whatever, I see no reason to wish that their careers didn't exist. There's plenty of room in music for a wide spectrum of artists and there will always be artists in every single generation that will resonate well and those won't resonate well at all.
For me, it's all about meaning and the experience of listening to music. Ke$ha and other performers like her make a brand of music designed for partying and clubbing and whatever, so it fits the genre and the fans they market towards. Justin Bieber and the Jonas Brothers are marketing their shit towards tweens and teen girls, so it works on that level.
The REAL failure, in my opinion, would be if Ke$ha was trying to be something she's not, but she earns my respect due to the fact that she's not attempting to pass herself off as some grand artist. She's trying to be the drunken fool and, for the most part, she's succeeding.
So you've got to ask yourself if you really have a problem with the performer or the role the performer is playing. I think there are deeper issues here than that and they speak to how individuals perceive entertainment. I may not like big flashy blockbusters generally, but I do understand that they have a role and that they appeal to lots of people. I don't wish they didn't exist because I'm not a fan.
12 - Adam
Yes, the first time I heard her I was certain it was the worst music I'd ever heard, probably among the worst ever made. In fact, even amongst the things that aren't music that we pass off as music these days, it is inutterably terrible. Accept the fact that eventually people will be satisfied with the sound of a drum beat repeated constantly for five minutes. I really don't think I'm exagerrating the reality. Best just ignore it and remember that there is still good music being made.
13 - Jonathan Sullivan
@Jason: I think Anna's comment was more "we'll laugh that people took her seriously and she was actually famous" more than her wishing her career never existed. And as for her singing talent, she has yet to show me she can do anything other than rap-talk, which has become her signature style (there's another term people use for it, but the name escapes me). Her singing of the chorus for "Your Love is My Drug" on SNL was live and non-produced and it was immensely grating which reinforced her lack of legitimate singing ability in my mind. I did check out a performance of "Blah Blah Blah" that seemed to be a bit better, but I don't know if that's her with the benefit of post-production or not. Still, a step up.
I also get how you would consider her a failure if she wasn't being herself, but my opinion of failure is vastly different. Plus, I'm unsure if she really is a drunk party girl, because from what I've read, she was actually a buckled down student and this trashy look came from her having to create an image from a budget. Create the image, create the persona. If that's her or not is up in the air.
@Adam: Agreed, and now that I think about it, we're slowly becoming that generation that hates everything new. The cycle never ends I guess.
14 - El Bicho
You must be joking if you are using Britney Spears "singing" as a barometer. It's rather obvious she's augmented by studio effects.
And who is taking Ke$ha seriously? She's a pop star.
15 - Jonathan Sullivan
So pop stars should never be taken seriously? Ever? Is that like the turn your brain off mentality some people take to action films? That honestly wasn't sarcasm, I'm just trying to make a connection.
Also, I'm sure there are a ton of fans of hers that would take offense at you implying she shouldn't be taken seriously since she makes pop music, at least from the ridiculous amount of stuff I've been reading all night.
16 - Jonathan Sullivan
There have been some rumblings of her doing this as maybe some sort of satire on pop music (she wrote these songs with her mother, and I doubt most mothers wouldn't let half these lyrics fly), and if that's true then more power to her. I just need legitimate proof there is something more here than what I have seen/heard.
17 - Jaim
I think that if you want to listen to artists on the verge or old favorites that always deliver then you should stick with the college radio stations. I have discovered great bands on these channels, and these unique musical groups have given me hope that there is some music that has some meat to it rather than the empty carbs of the mainstream music played on MTV and commercial radio stations.
18 - Victor Lana
Courtney Love (yes, of Hole) told Ke$ha, "I'm worried about you." Now, doesn't that tell us something?
19 - Miss L'Roy
Jealous like a hungry tiger!!! Not like her music is damaging your life. If it had that great of sn effect on you then something is seriously wrong. Just change the radio station. I'm from Texas and there are tons of them. Ke$ha doesn't want you in her audience anyways, you're too judgemental. I can understand expressing your opinion but "Whore-pop?" You are just as bad as the Simpsons for writing this long article.
20 - Kirsten
Ke$ha really doesn't add too much to the music scene, but you can't deny that her music isn't catchy.
21 - Jonathan Sullivan
@Miss L'Roy: I wrote it to get it off my chest because it's been bothering me since she showed up. The "whore-pop" label is something my friends use and in the heat of the moment, I felt it was appropriate. I spent an inordinate amount of time researching Kesha, and my stance has soften a little bit, but I still am disappointed she's as big as she is. I think that's my biggest problem, that something so shallow and fake could ascend so quickly. Sure there have been others (and will be), but this one got to me more than others.
@Kirsten: She is catchy; I threw that into the article very briefly, but it's catchy because it's repetitive.
22 - stanley
I'm a Ke$ha fan.
What i get from her is the message that from time to time, learn to loosen up and have fun. I also like her persona especially in interviews..you can see that she is raw, honest and speaks her mind. I also love the fact that she is not full of herself and not proclaiming that she will be this and that in a few years time unlike that ugly troll/con-artist named Lady Gaga who carved her career by copying what past artists have done. That itself should be considered foul. For once, she needs to find her own real voice and look..no reference or inspiration from other artist. But i don't think that will happen because she does not really have anything inside of her to offer
23 - @@r0n
People on here will never understand what Ke$ha has. I'm not going to explain it, because someone will criticize it. But I will say this, Ke$ha is f***ing rad. Seriously. I believe she's brought new things to the music industry and in a very good way.
24 - Ron
I read your article. Very funny. Needs work.
Ke$ha, or Rose, as I prefer, because it fits her so well, needs no redeemer. Nor, for that matter, does anyone else. Sin no more, I say. And it is so. Get used to it. More on that later. Much later.
An example of Ke$ha’s live performance will reveal her genius, and her upcoming marriage to me, even if she needs to drag me kicking and screaming to the alter, should prove definitively she has no luck whatsoever.
Consider her performance at Saint Valery-en-Caux. She appears in thigh-high black boots, red gloves extending past her elbows, and a skirt, playing a guitar shaped like a military weapon, a drum, and displaying the American Flag. What’s up with that?
The boots belong to Erwin Rommel, the skirt, to the 51st Highland Division, and the blood, up to her elbows, still stains Winston Churchill’s soul. Let me explain.
Ke$ha played the concert as the result of the school winning a lottery. Suspicious of the role chance plays in events, she sought for a good reason for her to be there. She decided, for particular reasons, to comment on events which took place in 1940. In a relevant way, of course. Read the history, if you want to know the details.
The point she made was that politicians are responsible for what they do. Churchill left the 51st Highland Division behind, and was complicit in keeping the truth from the British public. The 51st Highland Division, later reconstituted, helped defeat Rommel in Africa. Enough said? Oh, forgot drum and flag. American leadership is responsible for injustice against Native Americans, and all others, regardless of whether the people know it or not. Free Leonard Peltier. It would be a beginning. Word.
Joy to you, Rose.
25 - Jordan Richardson
Jonathan,
You describe your disappointment that Ke$ha is as "big as she is." How big is she? She currently has a few singles that get radio play, but she's still little more than an opening act on the touring circuit and probably won't wind up having much more of a career outside of doing this sort of party pop stuff. I don't really consider her to be anything to be concerned about on any level.
And as for her singing talent, she has yet to show me she can do anything other than rap-talk
So what if she can't do anything else other than that? If that's her style, that's her style. I'm saying that it's not particularly fair to characterize someone as a non-vocalist or as not a good singer just because they've chosen a style that isn't particularly vocally flattering. Better Ke$ha understanding who she is as an artist than Christina Aguilera taking ten minutes to sing a three minute song because she's determined to be so goddamn showy.
Her singing of the chorus for "Your Love is My Drug" on SNL was live and non-produced and it was immensely grating which reinforced her lack of legitimate singing ability in my mind.
A number of "good" artists have had shitty performances on SNL and elsewhere. That can be chalked up to a number of things, primarily the fact that she's so green in the industry and due to the fact that, again, she's stepping out of her primary style to sing without effects.
Bear in mind that I'm not arguing that she's a great singer. I'm just saying that we shouldn't dismiss vocalists due to the fact that they pick a particular style, in this case the "rap talk" style. She may well carry some surprising pipes. I don't really know.
I also get how you would consider her a failure if she wasn't being herself, but my opinion of failure is vastly different.
Yes, your opinion of failure seems to be when artists fail to conform to your standards, moral or otherwise.
In your article, you complain about "her" spelling, an imagined but unproven inability to sing and/or play an instrument, her musical catalogue (of which you admit to having heard TWO songs as of writing this piece), "immature" lyricism (an odd complaint for party music, as I didn't know Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" was particularly profound), and a critique of her live performances based on two songs you saw on SNL (still the same two songs you're basing your entire three page "critique" on).
So if you can build your case for failure based on having heard a pair of songs from an artist that you complain about as being "too big," I guess you've got no confidence problems. But you're far from fair and far from thorough. I think the key problem I have here, Jonathan, is that you've elected to base your criticism on incredibly superficial grounds while bemoaning Ke$ha for being - wait for it - incredibly superficial. What other performer would you judge in the same way? Would you discard anyone from just two songs if you thought they were "ruining American music?"
I'm not saying that there's a haunting, beautiful artist waiting to emerge here. I'm saying that your criticism is limp, bland and dishonest. And if Ke$ha really is the threat you say she is, you need to do a lot more work at discovering what this little bag of candy floss is up to. You owe it to us, after all.