On Tuesday afternoon, Kim Petras claimed in a post on X that her label, Republic Records, was mismanaging the release of her third studio album. In the post, the German pop singer claimed that she’d finished the album, Detour, six months ago, but Republic “refused to give me a release date or pay my collaborator’s for the work they’ve done.” She also said she’s formally requested to be released from her contract in the hopes of self-releasing music, writing, “I’m tired of having no control.”
Kesha, whose public struggle to be released from her own major-label contract inspired the 2016 Free Kesha campaign, showed support for Petras following her post. “Watching another woman realize that the ‘golden cage’ is still a cage isn’t a victory-it’s a tragedy we have to stop repeating,” she wrote on X. “Freedom isn’t a privilege; it’s a birthright. I hear you, I’m sorry Kim.”
Kesha signed with producer Dr. Luke in 2005 and later sued him for sexual assault and battery in 2014, claiming that Luke had “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally” abused her since the beginning of their professional relationship and requesting to be released from her record deal. Luke filed a countersuit, accusing Kesha of defamation, and after a nearly decade-long legal battle, they settled on undisclosed terms. Dr. Luke produced several projects with Petras in the years he and Kesha were locked in their dueling lawsuits, including her 2021 EP, Slut Pop, and 2023 album, Problematique. Kesha officially split from Dr. Luke’s label, Kemosabe, in 2023 after fulfilling her five-album contract; the next year, she established her own independent label, Kesha Records. As for Petras, she has vowed to release Detour regardless of her label’s wishes.
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The Cut has reached out to Republic and Petras for comment.
