Kesha drops first independent single post leaving Dr. Luke's label

Kesha has launched her initial independent single following her departure from producer Dr. Luke's record label.

The singer, known for "Tik Tok," marked America's Independence Day by releasing "Joyride," a song she premiered at Brooklyn's Planet Pride recently.

"Joyride" sees Kesha returning to her earlier electronic pop style, evoking memories of hits like "We R Who We R" and "Tik Tok."

Before the track dropped, Kesha told her X followers, "I couldn't have made it through without all of you. now we joyride."

She marked its debut on Instagram with a video of herself singing along to the track in a dressing room alongside drag queens. After the track ended, she screamed and told her fans, "I love you."

Joyride is Kesha's debut as an independent artist after leaving Dr. Luke's Kemosabe Records amidst a protracted legal dispute.

In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Lukasz Gottwald, known professionally as Dr. Luke, accusing him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2005. In response, Dr. Luke countersued Kesha for defamation, alleging she fabricated the accusations to terminate her recording contract.

After a nine-year legal battle, they settled the case out of court in June 2023, with Kesha saying at the time, "I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one. I wish nothing but peace to all parties involved."