Entertainment Music Pop Music Kesha Wants to ‘Reclaim’ Her ‘Joy’ with New Music Post-Lawsuit: ‘I Fought So F—ing Hard and Long for It’ "My soul needs this album," the pop star said in an interview with 'ELLE' By Ilana Kaplan Ilana Kaplan Ilana Kaplan is a Staff Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2023. Her work has previously appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Vogue and more. People Editorial Guidelines Published on October 3, 2024 06:14PM EDT Comments Kesha for 'ELLE'. Photo: Ruben Chamorro for ELLE Kesha's new music will help her "reclaim" her "joy." In an exclusive interview with ELLE, the pop star, 37, opened up about her new music in the wake of her near-decade-long legal battle against producer Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald. While discussing how Kesha has experienced "pain" in her life," she opened up about why her forthcoming album is going to embody "joy." Kesha for 'ELLE'. Ruben Chamorro for ELLE Kesha Declares She's 'Coming to Change the World' with New Music Following Dr. Luke Legal Battle “Everybody knows me as a fun human being. My soul is very fun. My name means ‘innocent joy.’ But, you know, there’s only so much somebody can take before just feeling wrecked...." she said. Added Kesha: "My soul needs this album. I need to reclaim my joy. Because I fought so f---ing long and hard for it.” Since founding her own label Kesha Records, she also revealed her plans to change the music industry over the next 10 years. “The music industry should be f---ing terrified of me,” Kesha said. “Because I’m about to make some major moves and shift this s---. I really want to dismantle it piece by piece and shine light into every corner. I hope my legacy is making sure it never happens to anybody ever again.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Kesha for 'ELLE'. Ruben Chamorro for ELLE Kesha Reveals an Ex-Boyfriend Broke Up with Her Because She Brought Someone Else to Taylor Swift's Party In July, the "Woman" performer released her first single as an independent artist, "Joyride." (She parted ways with RCA Records and Vector Management in June 2023.) In a Forbes interview, Kesha announced that she was looking to "change the world" — particularly for any artists enduring similar situations. "I started my own record company and I am coming to change the world, honey, so just hold on tight," said Kesha, before advising fellow artists to "keep writing songs" through difficult situations. Added the "Blah Blah Blah" hitmaker: "It’s really f---ed up that in this country, you can lose the rights to your voice but you will never lose the rights to your truth and the truth will set you free. I’m working really hard to change everything in my power in this world, so that never happens to anyone ever again." Close