Dr Luke‘s label has backflipped on its decision to block Kesha from performing at the Billboard Music Awards this Sunday.
Kesha’s counterclaims against Dr Luke that he emotionally and physically abused her were thrown out of Supreme Court in April, after she had previously failed to overturn the court’s decision to uphold her contract with Sony and Dr Luke.
Kesha was originally set to perform at the awards before Dr Luke’s Kemosabe Records rescinded its approval for the gig after rumours surfaced that that Kesha was planning to make “direct references” to her legal battle with Dr Luke during the performance, and that it may even contain images of him.
At the time Kesha took to Instagram to insist that the choice to play the Dylan cover had nothing to do with Dr Luke. “I just wanted to make very clear that this performance was about me honoring one of my favorite songwriters of all time and has never had anything at all to do with Dr Luke,” she said.
Lady Gaga also came out in support of Kesha, comparing Dr Luke to Ursula from The Little Mermaid on Twitter.
Isn't it strange that it's legal to own a woman this way? Listen Ursula, we want her voice back. #freeKesha https://t.co/rifG9nWRWw
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) May 19, 2016
Now the performance is back on, after the label say they were given assurances that Kesha’s set – which the singer had indicated would contain a cover of Bob Dylan’s song It Ain’t Me Babe – wouldn’t contain any references to the ongoing legal proceedings.
“Kesha’s performance on the Billboard Music Awards was always approved, in good faith,” said a statement from Kemosabe Records. “Approval was only suspended when Kemosabe learned Kesha was to use the performance as a platform to discuss the litigation. Now that Kemosabe has obtained assurances, that it is relying upon, from Kesha, her representatives and Dick Clark Productions that neither Kesha nor her supporters will use the performance as such a platform, the approval has been restored.”
The news comes just hours after Kesha took to the stage in Los Angeles to perform the Bob Dylan cover in question. She was invited on stage by Ben Folds during his show at the Orpheum Theatre, and they sung It Ain’t Me together before Kesha remained on stage to sing Still Fighting It and Rock This Bitch with Folds.
Check out fan footage of Kesha and Ben Folds performing Bob Dylan’s It Ain’t Me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISpWMsQ4Y_o
