Ke$ha on why the $ sign in her name

Explaining why she substituted the “s” with a dollar sign in her name, Ke$ha was quoted as saying, “I was so happy being broke. And I’m happy not being broke. It doesn’t really affect me either way. I care about taking care of people that have taken care of me — that’s important to me. But to be honest, I’m kind of repulsed by the gluttony and excesses of a lot of people in the limelight.”

This is what Funfare Update dug up from the Internet:

Kesha Rose Sebert was born in Los Angeles on March 1, 1987, to Patricia Rose Sebert, a singer-songwriter who co-wrote the 1978 single Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle

To You. Ke$ha said that she didn’t know who her father was, although in 2011 a man who claimed to be her father told a magazine that he had proof that he and Ke$ha had had regular contact before she turned 19.

Ke$ha’s mom is said to have struggled financially while supporting herself, Ke$ha and Ke$ha’s older brother, relying on welfare payments and food stamps to get by.

In 2005, at age 18, Ke$ha was signed to producer Dr. Luke’s record label, Kemosabe Entertainment, and publishing company. Although an active musician since then, singing background vocals and writing songs for other artists, her breakthrough came in early 2009 after appearing on rapper Flo Rida’s No. 1 single Right Round. Her debut album, Animal, and her first extended play, Cannibal, were released in 2010. Ke$ha’s irreverent music and image propelled her to immediate commercial success, with Animal debuting as the No. 1 album in the US. She also achieved two No. 1 singles, Tik Tok and We R Who We R, and a string of Top 10 hits from the album and its re-release. Tik Tok is also the second bestselling digital single in history, selling over 14 million units internationally. At the same time, she continued to write songs for other artists, including Till the World Ends for Britney Spears.

Warrior, her second studio album, was released in December 2012, spawning Ke$ha’s eighth Top-10 hit with Die Young.

Influenced by various genres and artists, Ke$ha primarily draws inspiration from music of the ’80s; Madonna, Queen and Beck have been cited as instrumental to her artistry. After experimenting with country, pop-rock and electronic music, Ke$ha stuck with the latter. Her “talky” rap technique, yodeling and excessive auto-tune have become her trademark, and all three have led to scrutiny regarding her vocal talent. Thematically, her music generally revolves around party antics, although some tracks have been noted as odes to individuality. Philanthropically, Ke$ha has been involved with animal rights and LGBT activism. Since her debut, Ke$ha has been nominated for over 40 awards, winning more than 15. Among these awards, she won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act in 2010 and several Billboard Awards.

Ke$ha is staging her The Warrior Tour at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Oct. 24. (Tickets are now available at Ticketnet

online www.ticketnet.com.ph. Or call 9115555.) Last Saturday morning, Ke$ha did an exclusive phone interview with Funfare

Update. Here are excerpts:

After successful albums and a number of hits, where is Ke$ha now? In what direction does Ke$ha want to take her career?

“The first record was a really fun album to make and I had five years to make that record. The latest album I call my baby because it took exactly nine months to record and I put my heart and soul

to it. After touring the world, I realized that the music and the lyrics I was writing were really affecting the people, so for this record I wanted there to be an underlying message of acceptance and love and super fun record but also positive and empowering.”

So why did you name your album Warrior?

“I’ve had a couple of experiences where my fans have told me that my music helped them through something really hard and a couple of times it’s been intense. There were some who said they wanted to kill themselves because they weren’t being accepted for who they are. Sometimes it was over their sexuality; sometimes it’s because they didn’t feel like they fit in. Like at school, when people aren’t nice to them and they are getting bullied every time. I wanted to write a song and I wanted to write a record that was empowering and I wanted to encourage young people to find it inside themselves to be a warrior in hard situations in life and not fall victim to it; not let it get the best of you and always fight through that and find the strength in yourself to overcome whatever adversity you have to face.”

Speaking about (being a) warrior, what are the things you would fight for?

“There are a lot of things that I would fight for. I think it’s really important. What I do for young people I know it’s just silly pop music but I think it’s important to show people that being imperfect is perfectly acceptable, it should be celebrated. And I think it’s important for people to be able to express themselves the way they want to. I’m very involved with supporting freedom of speech, equal rights and women’s rights. I just think that people should feel that they have the right to express themselves.”

And this attitude comes from personal experiences? Any personal battles that you had to overcome?

“Although I have never had to deal with people discriminating against me because of my sexuality, I have had so many close friends and family members who have had that and feel like it’s a personal mission of mine to help equal rights come to the forefront. Make the world fairer for people that are being discriminated against for their sexuality, their sexual preference is something that is a very personal issue for me.”

What are you looking forward to doing in the Philippines? What would you like to do here on your day-off?

“I’ve heard that there are really good places for scuba diving. And I’m obsessed with animals, and I work closely with the humane society, I’m their international ambassador so if I had a day-off, I’d probably go diving.”

Some artists find it draining and difficult to sustain their energy during

‘I think it’s important for people to be able to express themselves the way they want to. I’m very involved with supporting freedom of speech, equal rights and women’s rights. I just think that people should feel that they have the right to express themselves.’

a world tour. You don’t seem to have a problem. How do you do it?

“Yes, sometimes it’s exhausting but if that’s the worst thing that I have to say about what I do, then I’m incredibly lucky. I never like to say anything negative about what I do even when it’s hard, I’m just so lucky. It’s insane.”

Can you tell us what is the difference between Ke$ha on stage and off stage?

“Ke$ha on stage is really intense, because a lot of my songs are really intense. I feel like it’s just an amplified version of me. But when you find me off stage, it’s not like I’m a different person. I’m very true to form. If you meet me off stage I don’t think you’ll be surprised. I like glitter…I like to dance, to be wild.”

How do you relax while on tour?

“Maybe things that people don’t understand is that also if you put on a show, we have party nights but we also have to maintain our health. Like we do yoga together and we pass on holistic medicine so we’re kind of hippies. Like we’re kind of crazy but we’re kind of hippies, too.”

How is your love life? Any message for your Filipino fans?

“Right now, I’m just having fun, I’m not looking. If my soulmate sees me, then he’ll find me but I’m too busy on tour to be really worried about it. I would like to find my soulmate but the world (universe?) doesn’t want that.

“For my Filipino fans, I’m so excited that I’m coming over there. And I’m really pumped to hopefully put on a show that is the best time of your life so come ready to dance.”