Ever since Kesha’s bombshell lawsuit against music producer Dr. Luke in 2014, accusing the latter of sexual assault and physical and emotional abuse, a lot of artists have kept their distance from working with arguably one of the biggest hitmakers in Hollywood.
In case you weren’t aware, Luke has penned and/or co-wrote a lengthy list of hits over the years including Pink’s “Who Knew,” Britney Spears’ “Circus,” Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The U.S.A,” Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been” and Katy Perry’s “Roar,” just to name a few.
Luke has won dozens of awards and is considered one of the best-selling producers of all time alongside Max Martin. With that said, things drastically changed for the chart-topper when Kesha — whom he signed to his Kemosabe record label in 2005 — made her claims against him in a 2014 lawsuit.
It wasn’t long before a movement erupted on social media as Kesha’s fans demanded people to boycott any new songs produced by Dr. Luke moving forward. Understandably, this concerned a lot of artists because while he had not been found guilty of the aforementioned claims, it seemed wiser to keep a distance from the 47-year-old than to be involved in such controversy.
Dr. Luke Loses Work After Kesha’s Lawsuit
In the midst of his ongoing lawsuit with Kesha, Luke has undoubtedly lost a lot of money due to the fact that dozens of artists are no longer willing to work with him — perhaps not because they don’t believe his innocence, but maybe because they don’t want to be attached to the fiasco of things.
Here’s the thing: in the United States, you’re innocent until proven to be otherwise, but with all the evidence that Kesha had brought to light in court, it’s hard to disregard her claims on what she says happened to her during the course of working with Luke for eight years.
Katy Perry, who had been working with Luke since releasing her chart-topping sophomore album, One of the Boys, in 2008, penned most of her hits while working with the producer, who helped put together songs such as “Last Friday Night,” “Wide Awake,” “California Girls,” “Roar,” and “I Kissed A Girl,” to name a few.
Luke and Perry had a bond like no other.
Interestingly enough, however, Kesha would throw Perry into the mix of things by insisting that Luke had sexually abused the award-winning singer in the past — a claim which Perry has refused to comment on.
Whatever the case may be, though, Perry stopped working with Luke following Kesha’s lawsuit filing in 2016. She went on to release her fifth album, Witness, in June 2017, which became her first project that didn’t include Luke’s involvement since 2008.
The album, despite critical acclaim, was deemed as a commercial “flop” as it failed to produce any hits, aside from buzz singles “Swish Swish,” “Bon Appetit,” and “Chained to the Rhythm,” which made it pretty apparent that Luke no longer being around had taken a toll on Perry’s career and her overall sound.
Also in 2017, it was reported that Kelly Clarkson, who previously worked with Luke on “Since U Been Gone” had sacrificed “millions” of dollars, according to Refinery29, because she didn’t want to work with him after allegedly being blackmailed into working with him for her 2009 single “My Life Would Suck Without You.”
At the time, she told Australia’s KIIS1065 that Luke was “not a good person” and ever since the entire scandal with Kesha erupted, Clarkson has avoided him entirely.
"I was so frustrated because I literally said, 'Anyone in the world but this one person,' but it was just this one thing,” she said. “And I asked not to work with Dr. Luke… just because I had not a good experience with him...It was one thing and they wouldn’t even give it to me.”
Another artist who has shunned Luke is Miley Cyrus, who last worked with him on her 2013 single “Wrecking Ball” while disgraced photographer Terry Richardson — who has been accused of sexual assault on many occasions — directed the music video.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, though, Cyrus stopped working with Luke soon after Kesha came forward with her lawsuit.
Other artists who appear to have distanced themselves from Luke include Nicki Minaj (who unfollowed him on Twitter), Ciara, and Marina and the Diamonds.
It’s believed that Luke is slowly but surely planning his comeback to the music scene, having already had success with Doja Cat, whose “Say So” and “Like That” singles were both produced by him.
It’s unclear what the future of Luke’s career holds, particularly with an ongoing lawsuit involving Kesha, but the artists who are still working with him are clearly choosing to overlook his questionable past.
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