Kesha says Rick Rubin “allows the artist to go fucking mental”
“It was everything everyone thinks it is and so much more,” says Kesha. “It’s almost indescribable, but I definitely feel like working with him has been transformational.”
Image: Photo by Kevork Djansezian for The Recording Academy and Joshua Blanchard via Getty Images
Kesha has spoken out about what it was like to work with producing legend Rick Rubin on newest album, Gag Order.
In an interview with Dazed, the Tick Tock singer opened up about working with the producer and co-founder of Def Jam Recordings.
“It was everything everyone thinks it is and so much more,” says Kesha. “It’s almost indescribable, but I definitely feel like working with him has been transformational.”
“He really allows for the artist to go fucking mental and almost walk through the madness, and the music is a safe place to do that,” she continues.
When asked about the sense of imperfection in the record, Kesha claims that a large part of that was due to Rubin, who encouraged her to use an “imperfect” vocal take.
“I begged him to let me put auto-tune on a couple of things and it was really helpful and impacted me a lot to have him insist that I didn’t need it. I’m so happy he encouraged me not to use it. Because in the slight imperfections, that’s where you find humanity. Humanity is where you gain compassion. And with compassion there is connection.”
In recent months, Rubin has admitted in a CBS ’60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper that he knows “nothing about music”.
“Well, you must know something”, Cooper teased, to which Rubin replied, “I know what I like and what I don’t like. I’m decisive about what I like and what I don’t like.”
“The confidence that I have in my taste, and my ability to express what I feel, has proven helpful for artists.”
Kesha’s new album Gag Order, is out now.
