For a few minutes on Saturday night, Kesha was free.
The singer’s brief cameo with EDM producer Zedd was easily Coachella’s most dignified and poignant guest appearance. Though it came in the middle of a high-octane set of Zedd’s pop-friendly dance music, her one song with him spoke volumes about power structures in the music industry, and how music can still be a lifeline out of them.
FULL COVERAGE: COACHELLA 2016
Zedd had first reached out to Kesha during her ongoing campaign to extricate herself from her contract with her former producer Dr. Luke, whom she has accused of sexual assault and harassment since her early career.
So far, the courts haven’t agreed with her arguments, but she has earned an outpouring of public support, particularly from female peers in the music industry. It was hard to tell what she would do with this wave of empathy -- record clandestinely? Perform songs outside her old, now-fraught catalog? But a Coachella appearance was one small, meaningful reminder that yes, she does have agency and will find a way to perform regardless.
When she walked onto Zedd’s Outdoor stage mid-set, to perform the title track from his “True Colors” LP, the mood shifted. Zedd’s music is upbeat, poppy and squarely in line with Electric Daisy Carnival’s surging EDM. But Kesha -- dressed in wispy waves of black, save for brightly colored hair -- carried political ramifications onstage with her every step. She didn’t speak to the crowd or address any of the ongoing allegations, but she didn’t need to.
Her fans’ rallying cry -- “Free Kesha” -- is notable because it isn’t even about the past, it’s about her future as an artist and as a woman. By just walking out onto one of the fest’s biggest stages and singing about redemption and vindication, she reminded everyone that music is not just a trap of dominance and court rulings. It’s a means of personal liberation.
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Axl Rose onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Vince Staples performs in the Sahara tent at the Coachella Arts and Music Festival.
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Two women wear lights on their bodies as they listen to a performance at Coachella.
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Festival-goers take photos of the Katrina Chairs art installation at Coachella.
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Zhu performs in the Sahara tent at Coachella.
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Zhu performs in the Sahara tent at Coachella.
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Grimes performs in the Mojave tent at the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival.
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An artwork image of Bernie Sanders is projected on the screens during a performance by Grimes at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Art installations and the ferris wheel light up the horizon at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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The “Tower of Twelve Stories” and the ferris wheel light up the night at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Vince Staples jumped off the stage and stood near the crowd as his last song ended in the Sahara tent.
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A worker at Backyard Bowls dances to Ice Cube performing in the distance as he makes smoothies and acai bowls in the VIP food section at Coachella.
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Fans watch Ice Cube’s performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Girls enjoy slices of watermelon in late afternoon at the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival.
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Brian Sneed, 27, and Claudia Jerez, 27, jump for a photo being taken by a friend in front of the Katrina Chairs art installation at Coachella.
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A young man plays in the light being tested between performances in the Sahara tent at Coachella.
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Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Axl Rose and Slash with their band Guns N’ Roses onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Guns N’ Roses’ Slash onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Guns N’ Roses’ Slash onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Guns N’ Roses onstage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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A young woman swings lighted balls as she dances to music coming from the Gobi Tent at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Kaila Lehr, 20, of Santa Barbara poses for a friend at Phillip K. Smith III’s “Portals” at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Smoke from an effects machine creates a gauzy scene at the Gobi Tent during the Coachella Music and Arts Festival.
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Victor Montoya, 27, of San Diego rests against Jimenez Lai’s “Tower of Twelve Stories” at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Ice Cube on stage.
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Ice Cube on stage.
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Ice Cube, right, on stage with Dub-C, left.
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Ice Cube on stage.
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Electropop singer Halsey performs.
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Electropop singer Halsey performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Saturday.
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Roadies prepare the Outdoor Stage for a performance by electropop singer Halsey at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival.
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Fans of electropop singer Halsey wait for a performance.
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Fans wait for a performance by the electropop singer JHalsey.
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Australian singer and songwriter Courtney Barnett performs.
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Australian singer and songwriter Courtney Barnett performs.
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A dancer performs with electropop singer Halsey.
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A couple pause to rest as night falls on the festival.
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Bat for Lashes performs.
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Misting fans provide some relief from the heat.
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Misting fans provide some relief from the heat.
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Coachellans head toward the headliners as the sun sets at the festival.
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Fans watch Chvrches perform.
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Lion Babe joins Disclosure on stage.
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Lorde joins Disclosure on stage.
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Sunset draws near.
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A young woman photobombs the photographer.
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Lion Babe joins Disclosure on stage.
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Disclosure on stage.
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Lion Babe joins Disclosure on stage.
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Lorde joins Disclosure on stage.
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Lorde joins Disclosure on stage.
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The lights of the Sahara tent are reflected in a woman’s sunglasses as she dances to Vanic’s performance at Coachella.
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Matthew Brinkley, 26, and Kari Calhoun, 25, both from L.A., at Coachella.
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Fans dance as Vanic performs at Coachella.
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A girl hoisted onto someone’s shoulders talks on the phone during Vanic’s performance.
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Festivalgoers chill out as Black Madonna performs.
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Festivalgoers rest as Black Madonna performs at Coachella.
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Fans cheer, dance and sing along to Vanic’s set at Coachella.
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Fans cheer, dance and sing along as Vanic performs at Coachella.
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Fans ride on people’s shoulders as Vanic performs at Coachella.
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Fans ride on other people’s shoulders for a better view of Vanic.
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Jack U performs at Coachella.
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A woman holds a flag as Vanic performs at Coachella.
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Fans cheer, dance and sing along as Vanic performs at Coachella.
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A couple listens as Algiers performs on day two of Coachella.
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Algiers performs at Coachella.
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Black Madonna performs at Coachella.
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Umbrellas are a cool accessory on a hot day at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival.
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A group of girls keeps cool with wedges of watermelon as they watch a performance by Jamaican reggae artist Chronixx at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival.
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Colors and styles of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival.
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Coachella goers dance at the Heineken House during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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DMA’s vocalist Tommy O’Dell performs in the Gobi tent at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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A backup vocalist works some dance moves as Proteje performs his style of contemporary reggae at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Chantelle Garrett, 25, of Sherman Oaks see-saws and charges her phone at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Oje Ken Ollivierre, better known Proteje performs his style of contemporary reggae at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Jamaican reggae artist Chronixx performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Members of Proteje’s band back up the contemporary reggae singer at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) And for what it’s worth, she sounded fantastic. I loved the boozy, brilliantly subversive Kesha of “Animal,” but Kesha as an avenging angel of women in music is just as powerful. Even though they weren’t her own lyrics, coming from her they took on an undeniable power -- “No I won’t apologize for the fire in my eyes / Let me show you my, my true colors.”
Come what may as her case winds through the courts and boardrooms at Sony, Kesha’s one song at Coachella was a reminder that singing is proof of existence, and nothing can invalidate that.
Follow @AugustBrown for breaking music news.
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