Ariana Grande was one of the first artists to show public support after Kesha was denied the opportunity to break from her recording contract with her alleged abuser Dr. Luke. Ariana talked more about the industry double standards in a recent interview.
“I love Kesha. I worked with her when I was a lot younger. We’ve been friends. I support her regardless of what is going on,” Ariana told Carson Daly during his radio show, adding that she and Kesha never directly discussed the sexual assault allegations. “I didn’t know about a lot about this…We didn’t discuss any of this.”
Ariana also talked about double standards in the music industry and why male musicians are routinely exempt from the scrutiny of speaking up, aka nothing new. “The incredible double standards that we [women] face on a daily basis, in the industry and just in the world, it’s shocking,” she says. “I would be so amused—and pardon me if this comes across as sexist—but I don’t think a male artist would be in this position right now. Sorry.”
She adds, sort of sloppily but with good intentions, “If I’m speaking out about something that I’m passionate about, I’m willing to take the brunt for fighting for what I believe in. And my fellow women are definitely something that I will always be one of the first to speak up about.”
