“Get in loser, for the joyride,” Kesha demands in the hook of her first independent single since breaking free from Dr. Luke’s record label. It’s a joyous demand. After being subjected to the producer’s alleged abuse for years, Kesha can now make music moves, happily untethered, embracing electropop kicks and modulated vocals like God intended. Her latest track is fittingly named “Joyride,” a two-and-a-half-minute celebration soundtracked by some polka-inspired beats, heavy synth, and sheer confidence. “Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t even try to gi-give me shit / I’ve earned the right to b-be like this,” she sings in the first verse. “Oh, you say you love me? / That’s funny / Well, so do I.” The chorus is just as bold. She tells a hookup to “keep it kinky” ’cause she comes first, before warning them that they shouldn’t want kids. Why? No need for kids when she’s already earned the status by virtue of being herself. “I am Mother,” she declares. You don’t have to tell us twice.
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