Grammys #MeToo moment will see Kesha perform with Camila Cabello

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KeshaImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Kesha's comeback single, Praying, is nominated for best pop vocal performance at the Grammys

Pop star Kesha is to address the #MeToo movement with a powerful performance at this weekend's Grammys.

The singer, who sued superstar producer Dr Luke over claims of verbal, physical and sexual abuse, will sing her ballad Praying - in which she urges her tormentor to seek redemption.

According to the New York Times, the performance will also feature Cyndi Lauper and Camila Cabello.

Dr Luke has consistently denied the claims against him.

They first emerged in 2014 when Kesha, a platinum-selling pop star, sought to break out of her recording contract, expressing frustration over her lack of creative control.

Her ensuing allegations of abuse included two instances in which she claimed Dr Luke had drugged and raped her.

Fans and celebrities rallied to Kesha's cause. Taylor Swift donated $250,000 (£175,000) towards her legal fees, while Adele used her platform at the 2016 Brit Awards to state: "I'd also like to take this moment to publicly support Kesha."

Dr Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, denied all the claims and counter-sued Kesha. The singer lost several appeals; and remains signed to the label Gottwald founded (although he has since stepped aside).

Her comeback single, Praying, is a hymn to strength and forgiveness that references her struggles over the last four years.

"You brought the flames and you put me through hell," she sings. "I had to learn how to fight for myself / And we both know all the truth I could tell."

Long-time Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich said Kesha's performance of the song on Sunday would not "specifically" address #MeToo but that the association with the movement was deliberate.

"Even though her story goes back several years," he said, "the reality of what happened over the last four or five months will put a different spin on the way people will view it."

White roses

"I think it's going to be a moving movement," added James Corden, who is returning to host the Grammys for a second year.

He will also join the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Halsey and Dua Lipa by wearing a white rose to the ceremony to show solidarity with victims of abuse.

The initiative was prompted by a newly-formed group called Voices in Entertainment, led by Meg Harkins from record label Roc Nation and Karen Rait, of Interscope and A&M Records.

"We choose the white rose because historically it stands for hope, peace, sympathy and resistance," the group said in an open letter.

Image source, AFP / Getty Images
Image caption,

James Corden helped roll out the red carpet at New York's Madison Square Gardens on Thursday

"Music artists have a lot of impact," added Rait in an interview with Billboard, external. "So it's only fitting that music's biggest night shows the support for equality and safety in the workplace."

Earlier this month, many stars wore black outfits to the Golden Globes to reflect the protest against sexual harassment and assault in Hollywood, which was triggered by allegations against movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

The likes of Kevin Spacey, Louis CK, Matt Lauer and Jeffrey Tambor have since faced claims of abuse and harassment.

While Hollywood has been the focus of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, the music industry has not escaped.

Def Jam Recordings co-founder Russell Simmons stepped down from his businesses last year, after screenwriter Jenny Lument accused him of sexually assaulting her in 1991. Six women have since accused him of rape.

In the UK, a number of women have spoken to the BBC about "endemic" abuse and harassment in the music industry.

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