Kesha made headlines when she altered the lyrics of her debut single, “Tik Tok,” during her performance alongside Reneé Rapp at Coachella Valley. The 37-year-old songstress surprised the audience as a special guest on Sunday.
Originally released in 2009, the chart-topping song featured lyrics like, “Wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ like P. Diddy/ Grab my glasses, I’m out the door, I’m gonna hit this city.” The track dominated the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks in early 2010.
Given the recent allegations of sexual assault against the renowned rapper Sean Diddy Combs, coupled with Homeland Security raiding his properties as part of a sex trafficking investigation, Diddy has faced criticism from various corners of the industry.
On April 14, Kesha took to the stage and made a pointed reference to Diddy’s current predicament by adjusting the lyrics of “Tik Tok” to, “Wake up in the mornin’ like, ‘F— P. Diddy.’”
Kesha didn’t retract her statement and reiterated her stance on social media, posting the altered lyrics with clarity. During the performance, both Rapp and Kesha synchronized their delivery while raising their middle fingers in unison.
WAKE UP IN THE MORNING LIKE FUCK P DIDDY
— kesha (@KeshaRose) April 15, 2024
This isn’t the first time Kesha has expressed discontent with Diddy. Following Diddy’s settlement of a lawsuit with Cassie Ventura, who accused him of assault spanning over a decade, Kesha modified the song’s lyrics.
During her Only Love tour stop in Los Angeles in November 2023, Kesha sang, “Wake up in the morning feeling just like me,” instead. The controversy surrounding Diddy escalated further when additional women came forward with similar allegations. In February of the current year, music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones accused the rapper of harassment as well.