Pink couldn’t have made how she feels about music producer Dr. Luke any clearer than if she’d tattooed the message on his face.
The embattled music producer, real name Lukasz Gottwald, was hammered by accusations of sexual abuse and harassment in 2014 from pop songstress Kesha. In the courtroom drama, Kesha detailed incidents with Dr. Luke dating back to 2005, when he saw her on The Simple Life with Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton and persuaded her to come to Los Angeles, according to Vulture . Within a month of her arrival, Dr. Luke reportedly gave Kesha the date rape drug GHB and raped her, according to accounts from her mother and the 2014 lawsuit in general. The legal wrangling hit a high point with the 2017 dismissal of Kesha’s amended countersuit against Dr. Luke, but finally, Kesha was able to release what seems to be a song that directly puts Dr. Luke in the crosshairs with “Praying,” her first solo effort with Kemosabe Records, which Dr. Luke was recently dismissed from as CEO by Sony Records. It’s a triumphant return for Kesha, who has received accolades for the song.
Kesha, however, says that the song was about taking all the mental health and other challenges she’s been through in recent years and releasing it as art. According to her self-penned submission to Lenny , she is now opting instead to pray for those she feel has done her wrong in the past so that she can truly move forward.
“”Praying” was written about that moment when the sun starts peeking through the darkest storm clouds, creating the most beautiful rainbow,” she wrote. “Once you realize that you will in fact be OK, you want to spread love and healing. If you feel like someone has wronged you, get rid of that hate, because it will just create more negativity. One thing that has brought me great relief is praying for those people. Being angry and resentful will do nothing but increase your own stress and anxiety — and hate is the fuel that grows the viruses. Don’t let anyone steal your happiness!”
While some might argue that it appears Kesha has forgiven Dr. Luke, or at least moved past the traumatic experience that she’s been through, it would seem that Pink is a lot less likely to forgive Dr. Luke.
“He doesn’t do good business, he’s not a kind person, he doesn’t do the right thing when given ample opportunities to do so, and I don’t really feel that bad for him,” she said of Dr. Luke in a recent New York Times interview.
Pink, known for her outspoken approach to her work and to the world of celebrity, admitted that she has told Dr. Luke to his face how she feels about him. There appears to be no comment from Dr. Luke’s representatives or from his Twitter feed, which appears to have been more or less dormant since 2016.
Pink is certainly not the only one to express her displeasure with Dr. Luke. Kelly Clarkson acknowledged having difficulties working with Dr. Luke, whom she was forced to reunite with in 2009 for “My Life Would Suck Without You.” She told radio station Z100 about refusing a writing credit for the song, and according to Gears Of Biz , Clarkson refused the credit because effectively, Dr. Luke pressured her into working on the song. She admits to having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars because of it.
“I was making a point to the people working with me, going: ‘This is how much I didn’t want to do this. I don’t care about the money,’” she said.
Pink last collaborated with Dr. Luke in 2006, with her song “Cuz I Can.” While they once collaborated, it would seem that she has no problems expressing how she feels about Dr. Luke now.
“I know that regardless of whether or not Dr. Luke did [what he is accused of], this is his karma and he earned it because he’s not a good person,” she said. “I have told him that to his face and I do not work with him.”
[Feature Image by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for iHeartMedia]