The #FREEKESHA movement now has its own GoFundMe page
Ever since Kesha’s request to be freed of her contract with Sony Music and her alleged abuser Dr. Luke was denied on Friday, fans of the singer have been rallying under the #FREEKESHA hashtag to voice their fury and concern over Kesha’s situation. (To catch up with what’s going on, see here.) Now, one fan has started a GoFundMe page to help raise $2 million in funds — specifically, so that Kesha can buy herself out of her reportedly draconian recording contract.
Brandon de la Cruz, an editor at the website Bitter Empire, started the page after learning about Friday’s court decision. In a statement to HelloGiggles, de la Cruz shared, “I heard about what happened last Friday and it was devastating. Everyone was publishing that photo of Kesha in tears and I hated to see her reduced to that image in the media. I wanted to figure out a way to help, and the only way I could think of that would actually get Kesha out of such a bad situation would be to buy her contract. As cynical as it sounds, that’s always an option. Plus, this is a way for fans to come together and do something collectively that they couldn’t do on their own. It’s a display of economic power.”
“I’ve always listened and enjoyed the music she’s done, and I have a ton of respect for her as an artist. I didn’t realize how long it had been since she’d done anything until the lawsuit was filed. It made a lot of sense as to why she wasn’t recording,” de la Cruz elaborated. As for the $2 million figure: “The $2 million number is just an educated guess. I realize it’s probably low but I wanted to get it started. I figured however much it was, there was a slim chance we’d ever get there. But now, who knows? Every day I’m more hopeful about it than the day before.”
As of now, de la Cruz has already raised more than $17,000, all small contributions from fans just like him. And while that’s a bit off from $2 million, de la Cruz stresses that in the end, it’s about helping Kesha in any way that he can, even if it’s just in getting people to take notice and spread awareness about her situation: “I feel great that people are getting involved. I’m getting tons of messages and about 95% of them are positive and supportive. And the rest, I still talk to them to see if I can help them understand. Because a lot of people aren’t aware of the dynamics of sexual assault and how adept abusers are at manipulating people and protecting their own image.”
