Maps of Music

Animal (2010)

Where the lyrics of Animal take you, and where it was really made.

Kesha's debut album began with a single hook: Dr. Luke had her sing on Flo Rida's 'Right Round', and that guest spot led to her major-label deal.

Key places

Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood (2010)

Recording site Conway Recording Studios — Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood is listed as a recording location for Animal. The point is set at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood (2010)

Recording site A&M Recording Studios — Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood is listed as a recording location for Animal. The point is set at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Kingsize Soundlabs, Los Angeles (2010)

Recording site Kingsize Soundlabs — Kingsize Soundlabs in Los Angeles is listed as a recording location for Animal. The point is set at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Maratone Studios, Stockholm (2010)

Recording site Master Plan — Maratone Studios is listed as a recording location for Animal. The point is set at Stockholm city center, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

ACME Recording, Long Beach (2010)

Recording site ACME Recording — ACME Recording is listed as a recording location for Animal. The point is set at Long Beach city center, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Love Minus Zero Studios, London (2010)

Recording site Wild Bunch Studios (London) — Love Minus Zero Studios is listed as a recording location for Animal. The point is set at London city center, not at the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

MixStar Studios, Virginia Beach (2010)

Recording site MixStar Studios — MixStar Studios in Virginia Beach is listed as the place where Animal was mixed. The point marks the mixing studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sterling Sound, New York City (2010)

Recording site Sterling Sound — Sterling Sound in New York City is listed as the place where Animal was mastered. The point marks the mastering studio. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Animal: debut studio album by American singer Kesha
• Released 1 January 2010 by Sony Music; in the United States on 5 January 2010 by RCA Records
• Made with several producers and songwriters, including Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin and Max Martin
• Musically electropop, with dance-pop elements in the production and beats
• Lyrics mostly based on Kesha's past experiences of love, heartbreak, boys and having a good time
• Kesha said the album is completely autobiographical
• Four singles released: Tik Tok, Blah Blah Blah, Your Love Is My Drug, Take It Off

Background

• Kesha recorded demos for several years before one reached Samantha Cox at BMI
• Cox passed the demo on until it reached Lukasz Gottwald, known as Dr. Luke
• Luke had Kesha sing the hook on Flo Rida's 'Right Round' for his album R.O.O.T.S.
• The song became a hit in multiple countries within two months
• The success drew interest from many major labels; Kesha signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records
• Kesha had worked on the album for seven years and written over 200 songs
• The track list grew from the planned twelve songs to fourteen
• Kesha wanted the album to send an empowering, carefree message to young women

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Kesha Rose Sebert, born March 1, 1987, in Los Angeles; stylized Ke$ha until 2014.
• Signed to music publishing company Prescription Songs in 2005 at age 18.
• Signed with David Sonenberg's DAS Communications in 2006.
• Her 2009 debut single "Tik Tok" came after she signed a multi-album deal with RCA Records.

Career

• Kesha's breakthrough came with "Right Round" (2009) as a featured artist for Flo Rida, though she is uncredited on the US release.
• Her debut album Animal (2010) reached number one on the US Billboard 200; the single "Tik Tok" sold about 14 million copies worldwide.
• Her second album Warrior (2012) was released on November 30, 2012, and its single "Die Young" peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Her third album Rainbow (2017) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
• Her fourth album High Road was released January 31, 2020.
• Her fifth album Gag Order was released May 19, 2023, produced by Rick Rubin.
• Her sixth album Period was released July 4, 2025.
• Kesha's legal dispute with producer Dr. Luke, filed in 2014, was settled out of court in June 2023.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics gave the album mixed reviews
• Some praised its fun, carefree nature; others dismissed it as juvenile and said it seemed insincere
• Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times said Kesha offered a thoroughly fleshed-out character to embrace or despise
• Andrew Burgess of MusicOMH was impressed with Kesha and called the album an infectiously good dance-pop album
• Monica Herrera of Billboard said the heavy Auto-Tune made it hard to tell whether Kesha could actually sing
• David Jeffries of AllMusic found the ballads completely unsatisfying
• Dave Simpson of The Guardian questioned the honesty of her lyrics
• Metacritic score: 54 out of 100, based on 18 critical reviews

Records

• In the United States, Animal debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
• Debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart and the IFPI Greece Albums Chart
• Charted within the top ten in seven other countries
• RIAA: 4x Platinum for over 4 million equivalent units in the United States
• Nominated for the Juno Award for Best International Album in 2011

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Kesha had written over 200 songs, and the track list grew from twelve planned songs to fourteen.
• RCA delayed shipping 'Tik Tok' to radio by a month, to October, to let the song keep building digital word of mouth.
• 'Tik Tok' reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks.
• The 'Blah Blah Blah' track featuring 3OH!3 is omitted on the Chinese CD release due to Chinese censorship laws.
• The album's commercial success led to a nomination for the Juno Award for Best International Album at the 2011 Juno Awards.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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