#Animals are undoubtedly counting down the minutes, days, and weeks before ‘Tik Tok’ singer Kesha hits the road on her joint tour with rapper Macklemore (click here for dates). Kicking off June 6 in Phoenix, the 30-city venture will touch every corner of the United States before wrapping up in Tampa in early August.
Ahead of the trek’s launch, the singer’s taking to press – namely the most recent issue of ‘Cosmopolitan’ magazine – to build anticipation. Discussing her time with her Grammy-winning tourmate and what prospective concertgoers should expect from the outing, the sitdown with the lifestyle mag also took a dark turn down memory lane.
Amidst her legal battle with former producer and mentor, Dr. Luke, Kesh talked extensively about gaining her independence from the allegedly abusive hitmaker and overcoming body issues (some of which were brought on by Luke for reportedly calling her a “fat ass refrigerator”).
Before the mag hits newsstands on May 8th, you can see highlights from her candid interview inside:
On her initial rise to fame in 2009: “I thought I had to be very tough and really strong and portray that I didn’t give a fuck, and that just was not the case. I was pretending like everything was great all the time.”
On overcoming body issues: “The final straw was when I was with my mom at a family dinner party and I was so anxious. Driving home, I had to pull over, and I was like, I can’t keep this secret anymore. It was scary, but I finally put my foot down and chose life. That was a huge turning point. I’m not a size. I’m not a number. I am a strong, badass, motherfucking woman, and quite frankly, I like my junk. Ten years ago, I never thought I’d be able to say that.”
On her latest album, Rainbow — the first she’s released since the start of her multiyear legal battle with her former producer “Dr. Luke” who she has accused of emotional and sexual abuse: “I would write, and pain would turn into art, and the art would turn into healing, and the healing turned into a record. And then I was nominated for a Grammy!”
On her upcoming 30-city Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore tour: “I’ve taken ownership of myself. I’m taking control of my life and my name and the music it’s attached to. I’m not, like, a sad sap now. There are a couple of ballads, but my show is still extremely fun. I’m not going to be less crazy. There’s an awesome band, and there’s dancing and glitter. That’s a promise I will keep — there will always be glitter.”
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See some behind the scenes action of the featured photoshoot here: