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Kesha

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The first few years of Kesha's life were a struggle for her family. Her mother had difficulty earning enough to support Kesha and her older brother. "We were on welfare and food stamps," the artist explained on her website. "One of my first memories is my mom telling me, 'If you want something, just take it.'" When she was 4, Kesha moved to Nashville with her family, where her mother had landed a songwriting contract.

Sometimes tagging along with her mother, Kesha spent a lot of time in recording studios during her early adolescence. Her mother encouraged her interest in singing, allowing Kesha to work on some of her song demos. Kesha also went to a music school, where she learned about songwriting. Deep in the heart of the country music scene, she was inspired by the likes of Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline.

At 17, Kesha left high school to pursue a music career. She changed her The Band Perry to Ke$ha and moved to Los Angeles to work with producer Dr. Luke, who had worked on hit singles for Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson among others. "I thought her voice was distinctive, and I fell in love with her personality," Dr. Luke explained to Entertainment Weekly. "She had the same sass and irreverence she has now." Ke$ha was determined to break into the business. According to one story, she paid off a gardener to get inside music legend Prince's house to leave one of her demos for him. She landed a few gigs as a back-up vocalist as well, performing on songs by Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. But her big break came from an uncredited and unpaid cameo on rapper Flo Rida's 2009 No.1 hit "Right Round." She told Allure magazine that she wasn't upset about not receiving any payment for the song. "You have to pay your dues," she explained.

Soon after her work with Flo Rida, Ke$ha landed a record contact with RCA. She released her first single, "Tik Tok," later that year. The party anthem developed quite a following, soon becoming one of the most downloaded songs in America, and then reaching the top of the Billboard pop charts in January 2010.

Because she has attracted many young fans, Ke$ha has been criticized for some of her lyrics, especially those focused on drinking and alcohol. "I'm not a babysitter," the singer said. "It's their parents' responsibility to take care of them." For Ke$ha, her life provides much of the inspiration for her songs. "I'll go out with my friends and get rowdy . . . I'm not sorry, and I will write about it." Her debut album, Animal, reached the top of the charts after its release in January 2010. In addition to "Tik Tok," Ke$ha has scored two more Top 10 hits: "Blah Blah Blah" and "Your Love Is My Drug."