In an endearing New York Times profile of Pink (perhaps known to you better as P!nk), the pop star whose feet are least likely to be touching the ground, Joe Coscarelli reports that the singer had pointed words for Dr. Luke, whom she collaborated with on her 2006 hits “Who Knew” and “U + Ur Hand.”
Dr. Luke, real name Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, you’ll recall, was sued by Pink’s pop peer Kesha in 2014 for sexual assault and battery, gender violence, and violation of California’s unfair business laws, among things.
Says the Times:
“I don’t know what happened,” she said of Kesha’s much-publicized claims that Dr. Luke was sexually and verbally abusive. “But I know that regardless of whether or not Dr. Luke did that, this is his karma and he earned it because he’s not a good person.”
“I have told him that to his face and I do not work with him,” she added. “He doesn’t do good business, he’s not a kind person, he doesn’t do the right thing when given ample opportunities to do so, and I don’t really feel that bad for him.” Dr. Luke declined to comment.
Interestingly, a question about L.A. Reid—the former head of Pink’s former label LaFace—who’s been accused of sexual harassment, had Pink reportedly “pleading ignorance.” “People think I’m insane and aggressive and I’ll bite them,” she said, regarding overt sexism she’s experienced in the industry.
Also in the profile: Some great perspective on where the enduringly popular Pink fits on the pop landscape (“I’ve never won the popularity contest...I was never as big as Britney or Christina”), an anecdote about the upcoming video for her single “Revenge” (“‘Everybody needs to gain 10 pounds to be in this video,’ Pink, in classic form, told her backup performers upon seeing them in costume”), and, yes, acknowledgement of her predilection for performing while hanging from strings (“‘How many times do you see the same artist get up and lip-sync and dance?’ she countered. ‘And you’re mad at me for doing something none of them can do? And I sing live!’”).