Kesha Supports Kim Petras Amid Label Strife: ‘I Spent Many Years Fighting for the Rights to Myself’

Kesha has taken to social media to show her support for Kim Petras after the Problématique star shared a series of posts on X claiming that her current label, Republic Records, has stalled the release of her upcoming album.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jan. 20, Petras suggested that she wanted to return to being an independent artist. “My album has been done for 6 months but my record label has refused to give me a release date or pay my collaborator’s for the work they’ve done,” she wrote, adding in a separate post, “I’m tired of having no control over my own life or career. I want to continue to self fund and self curate my own music. This is why I have formally requested to be dropped by @RepublicRecords.”

Kesha — who reached a settlement in her years-long legal battle with ex-producer Dr. Luke in 2023 and later launched her own label, Kesha Records — replied to Petras later that evening. “I spent many years fighting for the rights to myself,” Kesha wrote to the singer on X. “Watching another woman realize that the ‘golden cage’ is still a cage isn’t a victory—it’s a tragedy we have to stop repeating. Freedom isn’t a privilege; it’s a birthright. I hear you, I’m sorry Kim.”

Petras’ most recent full-length LP, Problématique, arrived in 2023, and marked the artist’s first major project following “Unholy,” her Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Sam Smith. She’s since dropped track, “I Like Ur Look,” in October, which arrived after singles “Freak It” and “Polo.”

“I won a grammy 2 years ago…….. the music is TEA. Still no support,” Petras added on Tuesday. The singer also shared her gratitude for her fans and seemed determined to release her album despite the rift with her label.

“My fans have waited long enough. I love u guys,” she wrote. “I’m dropping Detour regardless.” Petras ended her posts with a blurred photo of “Detour Album Sequence” appearing on a car screen, captioning: “Music to my ears.”