The public record shows that Dr. Luke continued producing music after Kesha’s allegations and later returned to a highly visible collaboration with Katy Perry. It does not establish that he staged a coordinated comeback campaign. The clearest account is a timeline: a disputed legal fight that ended in a 2023 settlement, reported credits during the years around it, and a 2024 Perry collaboration that brought renewed attention and backlash.
What happened between Kesha and Dr. Luke?
In 2014, Kesha filed a civil lawsuit alleging that producer Lukasz Gottwald, known professionally as Dr. Luke, had drugged and raped her in 2005 and had subjected her to other abuse. Gottwald denied wrongdoing and filed a defamation suit. These were disputed allegations, not findings that a court made after a trial on whether an assault occurred.
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Kesha dropped her California civil lawsuit in 2016 while other legal claims and appeals continued. The New York defamation litigation remained unresolved. In its 2023 opinion, the New York Court of Appeals described Gottwald as a public figure for purposes of the litigation and addressed procedural issues in the case. That ruling did not decide whether Kesha’s allegations were true or false.
The 2023 settlement left the parties’ accounts opposed
The remaining defamation case settled in June 2023, shortly before a trial scheduled for July. In a joint settlement statement, Kesha said, “Only God knows what happened that night,” and, “As I have always said, I cannot recount everything that happened.” Gottwald said, “I am absolutely certain that nothing happened. I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone.”
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The settlement ended the remaining lawsuit; it was not a judicial finding for either side. The parties’ statements expressed sharply different positions, and the public record cited in contemporaneous coverage does not disclose confidential settlement terms. The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post reported on the settlement on June 22, 2023.
How did Dr. Luke keep working during the dispute?
Contemporaneous reporting documents work rather than a formal industry-wide return. In its June 22, 2023 settlement coverage, the Los Angeles Times reported that Gottwald had multiple songwriting and production credits on a then-forthcoming Kim Petras album and had co-written and produced Lil Durk’s “All My Life” with J. Cole. The “forthcoming” description reflects the status at the time of that report, not a current release update.
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The same report noted that Kesha’s Gag Order was her final contractually obligated full-length album for Kemosabe. That detail gives context to the label relationship, but does not by itself establish how any particular decision about promotion, budgets, or releases was made.
A Los Angeles Times retrospective published August 8, 2023, described Gottwald’s earlier standing in pop production and credited him with 18 No. 1 tracks, alongside work with artists including Maroon 5, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, Doja Cat, Katy Perry, Becky G, and Miley Cyrus. That retrospective figure describes his broader production record as reported in 2023; it is not a measure of post-allegation success or evidence of a comeback.
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Why did Katy Perry work with Dr. Luke on 143?
Gottwald was credited on “Woman’s World,” the lead single from Perry’s 2024 album 143. The Los Angeles Times reported on September 5, 2024, that the credit prompted backlash and that Perry defended her decision in a podcast interview. The paper also noted that he had worked with Perry earlier in her career but was not credited on Witness (2017) or Smile (2020).
Asked about collaborators, Perry said, “Look, I understand that it started a lot of conversations, and he was one of many collaborators that I collaborated with, but the reality is it comes from me.” Her explanation presents her rationale; it does not establish that other artists or industry figures shared it. The documented backlash is evidence of a contested response to this collaboration, not proof of a universal industry view.
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What did Kesha later say about her label and contract?
In a 2025 Billboard interview, Kesha described being contractually required to deliver music and said the label controlled promotion, budgets, and releases. Billboard reported her account that Gag Order peaked at No. 168 on the Billboard 200 and that the label’s option was not picked up. These are details of Kesha’s account and Billboard’s reporting, not an independent audit of the contract or its terms. Speaking to Monica Lewinsky’s Reclaiming podcast, Kesha described the experience as, “It felt inhumane.”
Does the record show that he staged a comeback?
It supports a narrower conclusion: Gottwald had documented songwriting and production work in the years after the allegations became public, and a major 2024 Perry release made his involvement conspicuous again. That collaboration drew public criticism, while Perry publicly explained her choice. The available reporting does not demonstrate that the later credits were part of a coordinated public-relations or comeback plan, quantify the controversy’s overall commercial effect, or provide a complete inventory of credits after 2024.
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Calling the trajectory a “comeback” can describe renewed visibility, especially around “Woman’s World,” but it should not be mistaken for a proven campaign or a measured career resurgence. The distinction matters: continued work, a high-profile credit, public backlash, and a deliberate strategy are separate claims, and the cited public record establishes only the first three.
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