Ke$ha made her debut on Saturday Night Live, but isn’t getting a lot of respect in the blogosphere. Why so?
She sang her hit “Tik Tok” in an odd flag outfit and another song in fluorescent paint, under black lights. Wait hasn’t that been done before?
In fact, it has. The whole day-glo-paint-black-light thing goes back to the 1970s.
Since most bloggers are under 30, their collective memory only seems to go back to 2008, when an Australian singer Sia did something similar. But it’s no big thing. It’s been done and done and done, so what? Hard to deduct points for that.
Ke$ha, of course, had a breakout hit with “Tik Tok” which critics trash as lightweight, calculating and crude. But it’s been hugely popular.
With 1.9 million downloads, “Tik Tok” was the third most popular song during the first three months of 2010, topped only by Train’s “Hey Soul Sister,” at 2 million sales and the Black Eyed Peas’ “Imma Be” at nearly 2 million.
The song also was the the longest running No. 1 debut single by a female artist since Debby Boone’s 1977 single “You Light Up My Life” on Top 40 mainstream radio.
Ke$ha, 22, wore an American flag costume for “Tik Tok,” which didn’t make a lot of sense, and broke out the day glo-paint for “Your Love Is My Drug,” another poppy, rappy song.
The problem is Ke$ha’s early commercial success may be working against her. She’s certainly no flash in the pan, or music industry manufactured. like Lady Gaga.
She spent years laboring in the vineyards writing songs and singing back-up for other artists. So, why fault a girl for being commercially successful?
What do you think? Vote in our poll and we’ll print the results!
Ke$ha, SNL: Your Love is a Drug
Ke$ha SNL: Tik Tok
Australian Singer Sia
Keith Girard four decades of experience as an award-winning reporter, editor-in-chief, and senior media executive. Keith’s career began in Washington, D.C., where he was a reporter for The Washington Post and a contributing editor for Regardie’s and Washingtonian magazines. He also worked as a writer/producer in CNN’s Washington Bureau and has written one book on the U.S. Marines in the Gulf War.
kesha is more manifactured than lady gaga. LOL
illy…amen to that.
I’m betting that someone like this KeSha couldn’t write a hit song by ‘herself’ if you stuck her ‘alone’ even for a hundred years in a room by herself.
I agree.
Gaga as Stefani Germanotta was nothing like Lady Gaga. She is the definition of manufactured to the point where she claims the creativity and inspiration that belong to others. And let’s not forget that Gaga’s first hit was about being black-out drunk, yet we don’t hate her because we’re not told to hate her. She’s presented to us as a safety blanket for being different (which she was anything but before her producers got involved).
Ke$ha never said she was trying to be anyone but a girl who wrote songs to make people happy.
Her album is actually impressively diverse–Her title track “Animal” reminds me of the Arcade Fire and after hearing it, I just couldn’t judge her and hate her anymore. I really am starting to like her for having the guts to go out there without a huge crew and vocal training to back her.
And remember, people, except for the chorus of Your Love is My Drug, none of her singles have any singing in them–It is spoken/rapped.
Check out “Sunday Morning” and you will see her voice can sound much different from when she is “singing” pop.
We praise guys who sing about the same things.
Ke$ha with Blah Blah Blah is turning the tables on that (What if a girl speaks to a guy that way? Listen to the 303! lyrics).
I feel bad I hated her when I heard her for the first time.
maybe critics have cried foul because the performances were so uninspired? considering how great a tune Tik-Tok is, she seemed whole-heartedly disinterested and bored for each performance… she completely failed to showcase her vocal ability during that arranged intro to Tik-Tok. The outfits were out of the box, her singing was just plain ordinary.
btw, what exactly does “poppy, rappy” mean? And you’re opinion on Lady Gaga is just laughable. Overall this argument was poorly defended.
good for her, she was finally able to perform songs she must have written when she was 12.
she’ll probably start a new dance craze with her “lift one arm repeatedly” move.
Is it just me or does she sound a lot like Alanis Morissette?
You guys are wrong. I think Kesha is great and hey, ld like to see you get up and sing on live tv. She’s a good singer and I think she COULD write a hit song. If you think she sucks, then remember, at least she has guts. <3
Ke$ha was a freakin hit i dont kno wat the fuk yall was talkin about!!! She has guts to do wat she did and it was AWESOME!!!! lET ME SEE U GO DO WAT SHE DID!!! Yeah thats right, u cant!!!
I agree with emma87.