Kesha announced her 2016 tour on Instagram. Tickets go on sale today, and fans have been hunting for presale codes to guarantee their seats. The touring act is officially named Kesha and the Creepies, and it should feature brand new music. Any music on hold since she worked with Dr. Luke will probably have to stay on hold.
Kesha is 29-years-old, and she accused her 42-year-old producer, Dr. Luke, of drugging, raping, and abusing her for years. She wants to get out of her contract with him, but the initial court cases did not go in her favor. Luke, in response, sued her for breach of contract and defamation. The legal battle isn’t over. After crying in the courtroom upon hearing the judge’s decision, Kesha still seeks to get out of her contract with Luke.
Kesha’s tour for 2016, in any case, will go on despite the court cases that await her in New York and Tennessee. Kesha’s last full-length project was her 2012 album, Warrior . In the meantime, she made a new version of “True Colors” with producer-deejay Zedd. She also did a well-received Bob Dylan cover with Ben Folds at this year’s Billboard Music Awards. “True Colors” peaked at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, not quite up there with her 2013 No. 1 hit collaboration with Pitbull, “Timber.”
Otherwise, Kesha says she will perform music that fans have never heard before, and if she can’t get her way with her contract, they may never hear again. “True Colors” will likely be part of the lineup, but other than that, it could be anything. The 2016 tour is her first tour since the 2013 tour for Warrior . Kesha is not in a position where she can easily record new music so fans looking to hear new Kesha need to check the tour dates below, courtesy of Bandsintown .
Jul 23: Intrigue Nightclub – Las Vegas, NV Jul 28: The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor – Windsor, Canada Jul 30: Dubuque County Fair – Dubuque, IA Aug 06: The Waterfront – Atlantic City, NJ Aug 07: Mad Decent Block Party – Brooklyn, NY Aug 09: House of Blues – Cleveland, OH Aug 10: Mr. Smalls Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA Aug 12: FOLD Festival – Riverhead, NY Aug 13: The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI Aug 16: Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH Aug 18: Aria – Minneapolis, MN Aug 19: Rave – Milwaukee, WI Aug 21: Mad Decent Block Party – Chicago, IL Aug 23: Mercury Ballroom – Louisville, KY Aug 25: New York State Fairground – Syracuse, NY Sept 17-18: Music Midtown – Atlanta, GA Oct 01: Mad Decent Block Party – Los Angeles, CA
Details are still forthcoming, but new promotional materials list the touring act as Kesha and the Creepies. The Creepies are probably the band that Kesha is touring with these days. Not having the same access to resources with the ongoing record label dispute has probably caused her to reach out to smaller outfits for backing music.
As Page Six reports, recording artist Brandy was recently compared to Kesha when she went to court to sue her record label . Though Brandy had no equivalent Dr. Luke character, the suit still drew comparisons between the two. Brandy also compared her situation to what Prince went through when he compared recording contracts to slavery.
So far in the singer’s young career, she has only completed two albums. Kesha’s 2016 tour won’t be her first, but it will be her first under these kinds of conditions. Since her public outcry about her dispute with Dr. Luke, she has received support from numerous other artists, including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, and Demi Lovato. Dr. Luke’s reputation took a hit after all the bad publicity, but he still remains one of the top recognized producers in the industry, although things on the music side have been relatively quiet lately.
Kesha’s 2016 tour will prove whether she can still please an audience while showcasing her sound and her music in the midst of an intense and highly public legal drama.
[Image via AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau]