Singer, songwriter. Born Kesha Rose Sebert on March 1, 1987, in Los Angeles, California. She was exposed to music at an early age through her mother Pebe, a songwriter. Her mother's biggest songwriting success was "Old Fames Can't Hold a Candle to You," which was a hit for Joe Sun and Dolly Parton.
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 teens. 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 name 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