Kesha Drops ‘Joyride,’ Her First Independent Single After Leaving Kemosabe and RCA

Just in time for Independence Day, Kesha has released a new single, “Joyride,” her first as an independent artist since parting ways with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records and RCA.

The single, which she debuted last weekend at Brooklyn’s Planet Pride, is a departure from the more experimental nature of last year’s album, Gag Order, which pushed the pop singer more towards art house. “Joyride” is a perfect summer electro banger, a throwback to earlier hits like “Tik Tok” and “We R Who We R,” with quotable lyrics like, “You want kids? Well I am mother.”

“Joyride” marks a new beginning for Kesha. In December, Variety reported that she had parted ways with both her record labels, Kemosabe and Vector Management. The news came six months after she was embroiled in several legal disputes with former producer and label owner Dr. Luke. which stretched over nearly a decade before being resolved out of court. Both Kesha and Doc released statements on social media declaring that Kesha was “closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one.”

Kesha released five full-length albums and three EPs through Kemosabe, but attempted to be released from her contract after alleging that Doc had sexually abused her. He denied her claims, and she ultimately said she could not fully remember the events of that night.

In March, she tweeted, “First day I’ve owned my voice in 19 years. Welcome.” Leaving the past behind, Kesha recently celebrated her liberation with a performance to kick off Pride weekend at WeHo’s Outloud Fest, where she told the crowd, “This is my first show as a free motherfucking woman.” During the performance, she introduced two new songs, including “Mother” and “Freedom.”