The star appeared on a lineup alongside Pitbull, Tinie Tempah and Tia Kofi
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY CONNOR BAKER
Resplendent in a pair of pink angel wings, Kesha rises onto the BST Hyde Park stage, leaving the crowd in a trance. “Are y’all ready to fuck shit up with me tonight?” she screams. The opening notes of her hit song Tik Tok send the crowd into a frenzy. It’s only a matter of seconds before the entire crowd has their middle fingers up to scream “fuck P Diddy”, a recent change to original lyrics.
Performing to a sea of bald caps – who broke the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps ahead of Pitbull’s headline performance – Kesha brought Y2K nostalgia to one of London’s most iconic festivals. From Tik Tok to Your Love Is My Drug, Kesha didn’t hesitate to take us on a joyride through her greatest hits.
With outrageously fierce outfit changes throughout, Kesha reminded everyone once again why she is the queen of party music. The omnisexual icon has long been a beloved figure in the queer community, and this performance was a fierce demonstration of why. From some very impressive twerking to a lot of spicy body rolls, Kesha and her dancers exemplified all things camp, glitzy and gorgeously gay.
But aside from being an incredible hour set, Kesha’s performance also carried great emotional weight. At the beginning of her set, Kesha said: “Many of these next songs, I’ve not sang them in 13 years and I want you to know I’ve taken all the original production out and I’ve reproduced them for us tonight.”
In 2024, Kesha released her first hit – Joyride – as an independent artist after her lengthy legal battle with Dr Luke, founder of Kemosabe Records. In 2014, Kesha alleged that he sexually assaulted and emotionally abused her.
Speaking to the crowd at BST Hyde Park, Kesha continued: “When I was in high school, I dreamed I could make a safe space for people like me. So they could feel safe and loved just as they are. So, I hope you feel so safe and so loved here – just as you are.”
Looking around at beaming faces screaming the words to Cannibal, it’s clear that Kesha has done exactly what she set out to do.
BST Hyde Park also saw performances from UK legend Tinie Tempah who brought out LGBTQIA+ ally Katy B for their 2015 hit Turn The Music Louder. The Rainbow Stage saw RuPaul Drag Race UK star Tia Kofi perform. The man of the hour Pitbull came on stage for two hours of absolute serotonin. With tracks like Fireball and Give Me Everything, Pitbull had the sea of bald caps jumping, dancing and smiling to no end. Kesha returned briefly for a rendition of the pair’s hit track Timber, the perfect cherry on top for the one of the best day festivals London has seen in a long time.
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