OPINION: Kim Petras May Be The “Throat Goat,” But Dr. Luke is Still Canceled
Column by Nick Peta
Photo is Kim Petra’s album art & edit by Nick Peta
Kim Petras’ EP “Slut Pop,” is sonically catchy, lyrically monumental, yet ultimately unoriginal. All 16 minutes of this sex positive, Europop project will leave you thinking, “yeah, I’d give water aerobics a try.” “Slut Pop” makes Khia’s “My Neck, My Back (Lick It)” sound like a ballad. The titles of the tracks on this project are overwhelmingly indicative of the EP’s energy, “Treat Me Like A Slut,” “Throat Goat,” and “XXX.” These titles alone could kill a Victorian child faster than Typhoid.
“Slut Pop” is already receiving a significant deal of attention, sitting as the seventh most popular album on iTunes. This Y2K homage would be the perfect addition to your favorite queer clubs if it weren’t for one thing… it is entirely produced and co-written by Dr. Luke, a man accused of sexual abuse by Kesha. Stan Twitter caught on quickly that Petras’ liberating and sex positive album wasn’t hitting the way it should have because of his presence on the album.
I am very much here for sex positive music being a driving force in the music industry, but maybe Kim Petras could’ve thought to work with a different producer to launch such a project? The release of this album brought #FreeKesha to trend again on Twitter for the first time in a while. In 2014, Kesha filed a lawsuit against Dr. Luke, accusing him of “sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused [her] to the point where [she] nearly lost her life,” all of which he denied. He then launched a counter lawsuit against Kesha for defamation. Kesha was pressured into dropping her lawsuit in 2016, while Dr. Luke’s defamation lawsuit continues.
Petras’ album has raised attention to an important issue in the music industry. While it seems artists are often canceled left and right, producers and writers continue to make money in the shadows, avoiding cancel culture because the stans generally don’t take the time to research the often toxic collaborators of artists. Dr. Luke still controls all of Kesha’s releases due to the current litigation of Dr. Luke’s lawsuit. Kim Petras is undeniably an icon of the queer community and beyond, but we need to start holding artists accountable for their collaborators if we want to be able to fully enjoy the artistry and meaning within their work.