Critically, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics, who felt the album was a fresh start for Kesha, although opinions on some of the tracks saw them sounding dated. The album was supported by the release of five singles: "Joyride", "Delusional", "Yippee-Ki-Yay", "Boy Crazy", and "The One". To further promote the album, Kesha is embarking on the Tits Out Tour with Scissor Sisters from July 2025 to March 2026.
Background
From 2014 to 2023, Kesha had been embroiled in a legal battle with her former producer, Dr. Luke. She had originally sued him for sexual assault and battery, which he countersued for defamation. Kesha had filed a preliminary injunction in 2016 to be released from her contract with RCA Records and Kemosabe Records which she signed when she was 18. She was denied the injunction, and has since released three more albums under the labels. Her fifth and final album under the contract, Gag Order, was released by RCA and Kemosabe in May 2023. Her lawsuit was set to go to trial in July 2023, but a settlement was reached a month before the trial date, thus ending the near decade long suit.[1]
While on Monica Lewinsky's podcast, Kesha stated that her record label informed her she would be dropped in three months, after Gag Order underperformed on the charts as compared to her other albums.[2] In December 2023, Variety reported that Kesha had parted ways with both labels and her management team. She said in a statement: "In need of a fresh start in my life, we have parted ways, but I will remain forever grateful for the run we had".[3] She signed with a new management team, Crush Music, in February 2024.[4] In an interview with V Magazine, Kesha had hinted about new music;[5] she was officially allowed to release new music independently in March 2024.[6]
In September 2024, Kesha's independent record label, Kesha Records, entered a distribution deal with Alternative Distribution Alliance, owned by Warner Music Group.[7] In an interview with Paper, she said her upcoming album is the first album she felt "free" both creatively and legally, stating that she is "embody[ing] freedom in every way possible".[8] She stated her goal for this album was to "create a safe space for people to feel fully embodied and liberated. That's what this album stands for, that's what [she's] going through personally." While accepting the Visionary Award at the Center annual dinner, Kesha said "[she] wanted to walk into this album cycle being a completely empowered, fully healed, and unbothered cunt".[9]
In a July 2025 interview with Billboard, Kesha described the album as her second chance and a way of reclaiming her joy, stating: "I waited for this moment my entire goddamn life". She further detailed that compiling the album's track list was one of the hardest parts of the album's process.[10] The deluxe version of the album features guest appearances from T-Pain, Slayyyter, Rose Gray, and Jade.[11]
Composition
Musically, the album is described as a pop record, with influences from several other genres such as disco, Europop, country pop and house.[12][13] The album contains a total of 11 tracks on the standard edition. "Freedom", the opening track that runs about six minutes, is described as a "wistful meditation" that transitions into an 80s jazzy house dance and disco track.[8][13][6][14] The song finds Kesha singing about embracing freedom.[15] The lead single, "Joyride" is a blend of electropop,[16]dance-pop,[17]synth-pop,[18]EDM[19] and polka.[20] The song has hyperpop[21] influences utilizing accordions, heavy synths, and modulated vocals.
The third track, "Yippee-Ki-Yay", is a twangy hip-hop[14] and country-pop number that drew comparisons to Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)".[22] The song fuses acoustic guitar, percussion and clap snares as Kesha belts out a chorus about spending time with friends around a bonfire and buying a new car.[15] "Delusional" is an "emotionally charged" pop[23]power ballad, showcasing Kesha's vulnerability.[24][25] Lyrically, the song sees the singer confronting an ex who seems unable to face up to reality.[26] The Europop track "Red Flag" sees Kesha welcoming chaos and complications over boredom while she sings over a pulsating synth-pop beat and hand-clapping.[27] "Love Forever" is described as a mid-tempo retro disco composition utilizing vocoders.[28][29] The fifth single, "The One", incorporates horns that drew comparisons to Panic! at the Disco's single "High Hopes".[30] Lyrically, the song is about overcoming relentless heartbreaks only to truly find oneself sees the singer reflecting on her stardom and success.[31][32] Mary Chiney of Beats Per Minute saw this track as a standout from the album, praising the "essential elements of a solid pop song".[15]
The fourth single, "Boy Crazy", is a "high energy" hyperpop and Europop anthem that sees Kesha singing from the perspective of a "horny and wild-hearted femme fatale".[33][13] The electro[29] number "Glow", sees glitchy, auto-tuned vocals from Kesha over an 8-bit synth.[12][29] The sultry, mid-tempo house, soul, and electro blended track "Too Hard" is described as an "euphoric" love song.[34][14] The closing track, "Cathedral", is a piano ballad that centers around self-love and treating her own body like a temple.[6][29] Kristin S. Hé of NME called it the "spiritual sequel" to Kesha's 2017 single "Praying".[13] Off of the deluxe edition ..., the single "Attention" is a house-influenced track that features Slayyyter and Rose Gray.[35]
Release and promotion
On March 6, 2024, a video titled "Kesha is waiting for you" was posted to Kesha's YouTube channel which contained a snippet of a new song, which would later be revealed to be the opening track "Freedom".[36] In 2024, Kesha held her first TED Talk, speaking about songwriting and how it impacted her life. There, she debuted the closing track of the then-unannounced album, "Cathedral".[37]
On March 19, 2025, all of Kesha's album covers were changed to have a large pink circle covering them on streaming platforms.[38] Alongside the release of the third single "Yippee-Ki-Yay" on March 27, the album's title, cover art, and track listing were released.[39] Hashflags were made to promote the album on X by tweeting #Kesha, #KeshaSummer, #letsparty, and #KeshaFreedom. Each hashtag was accompanied by the pink circle.[40] The album was available in seven colored vinyl variants.[41][42][43][44] To promote the album, Kesha embarked on the Tits Out Tour, along with pop-rock band Scissor Sisters, on July 1, 2025. Slayyyter, Vengaboys, Rose Gray serve as the opening acts.[8]
Singles
The lead single, "Joyride", was released on July 4, 2024. This marked her first release after parting ways with Kemosabe and RCA Records.[45] "Joyride" became her first song to chart on the UK Singles Chart since 2017, while also reaching the top-ten on three component charts in the United States, and has accumulated over 100 million streams on Spotify.[46][bettersourceneeded] The song impacted contemporary hit radio on August 30, 2024.[47] A music video was released on November 20, drawing inspiration from the Kill Bill film series.[48][49]
On November 29, 2024, she released the second single from the album, "Delusional".[50][24] The use of generative artificial intelligence for the single's artwork was criticized; however, the artwork was updated in 2025.[51][52] On March 24, 2025, Kesha announced the third single, "Yippee-Ki-Yay" featuring T-Pain, a country pop track, released on March 27.[53][22] The song was released with the pre-order for the album. It impacted US radio stations on April 16.[54] "Boy Crazy" was released as the fourth single on May 16, 2025.[55] A music video was released on June 17, which contained a reference to the Last Supper.[56] On June 25, "The One" was announced to be released as the fifth single on June 27.[57]
Kesha, Slayyyter and Rose Gray released their collaborative single "Attention!" on June 20, 2025. While not present on the standard edition of ., the track was later included on the deluxe edition.
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Period received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 71 out of 100 from 12 critic scores.[59] Prior to the album's release, Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone gave the album a four out of five stars.[12] Kristin S. Hé of NME called the album her "sleekest" one yet since her 2010 extended play, Cannibal.[13]The Guardian's Alexis Petridis saw the album as a "fresh start" for Kesha after her lengthy legal battle and opined all the songs are "really strong, filled with smart little twists and drops, and funny, self-referential lines".[29] Matt Collar of AllMusic opined that the album is a "bold declaration" that's been in the making for the singer, whose had a "rough decade". He stated the album was fun and "effervescently" inspired.[14] Mary Chiney of Beats Per Minute praised Kesha's vocal range but felt some of the songs such as "Glow" and "Cathedral" made the album feel uncohesive.[15]
In a more mixed review, Paul Attard of Slant Magazine felt Kesha seemed "torn" between recreating the spark of her early work or continuing in a more introspective, experimental direction like her previous record, Gag Order (2023), and found some of the tracks "distracting".[28]Paste magazine's Sam Rosenberg criticized many of the tracks, calling them "lazy, obnoxious, and dated".[60]
All track titles are stylized in all caps and with a period at the end,[63] except for "Attention" which has an exclamation point at the end.
On Spotify, an altered version of the standard album is available, with the single edit of "Yippee-Ki-Yay" featuring T-Pain listed as the third track.[63]
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