Kesha has officially returned – on her own terms. The pop provocateur rang in Independence Day with the July 4 release of her new album Period, a bold and genre-blending project that marks her first full-length as an independent artist. Arriving via her self-founded Kesha Records label, Period (stylized simply as a period “.”) is more than just Kesha’s sixth studio album; it’s a powerful statement of creative freedom from an artist who spent years fighting for it.
“This is the first album that I have legal rights to my own voice,” Kesha recently told fans, alluding to the hard-won victory of breaking free from her former contract. Period comes on the heels of the singer’s high-profile legal battle with ex-producer Dr. Luke – a nearly decade-long fight that ended in a settlement last year – and her exit from RCA/Kemosabe Records in late 2023. Now 36, Kesha embraces a new chapter as an indie artist with palpable joy. “I’m really excited for the world to hear this because I’ve been in control of everything,” she said in a televised interview, noting that she wrote every song and co-produced the album herself. “It’s been all of my vision… really coming back home to myself and feeling what freedom looks like, feels like, sounds like.” Fittingly, the album’s release date was no coincidence – it doubles as a celebration of Kesha’s personal independence. (She even teased this moment by dropping Period’s lead single, “Joyride,” on July 4 last year.)
Musically, Period is Kesha unleashed. The album’s 13 tracks burst with a wild “try-anything” spirit that hearkens back to her pop roots while venturing into fresh territory. Kesha dabbles in everything from glossy dance-pop and EDM to country flirtations, punk attitude and the neon chaos of hyperpop – sometimes all in the span of a single song. Early singles “Yippee-Ki-Yay” (a honky-tonk rave-up featuring T-Pain) and “Boy Crazy” showcased the singer’s playful genre-mixing, while fan-favorite “The One” offers a soaring pop anthem with a catchy kiss-off chorus. Deep cuts like “Glow” and “Cathedral” reveal a more introspective side: on the latter, a triumphant Kesha belts, “Every second is a new beginning… I died in the hell so I could start living again,” before proclaiming, “I’m the cathedral.” It’s a chilling, cathartic finale that leaves no doubt this is an artist reborn on her own terms.
Period’s release also kicks off a new era of live performances. Kesha is set to launch the Tits Out Tour – her first major tour as an independent artist – later this month.
