Not long ago, frat-boy antics were for, well, boys. But 22-year-old Ke$ha, the electro-upstart behind the hit “TiK ToK,” is here to let the world know that loutish drunkenness and sexual harassment aren’t just for fellas anymore. On her debut, she calls herself a pimp, brags about a “Party at a Rich Dude’s House” and tells one hapless love toy, “Don’t be a little bitch with your chit-chat/Just show me where your dick’s at.” It’s repulsive, obnoxious and ridiculously catchy — thanks to songwriter-producers Dr. Luke and Max Martin, who envelop Ke$ha’s bratty raps in percolating beats and buzzing bass lines. Fear for the future of civilization, and dance.

3 out of 5 stars.

This was never going to be an ‘if’ hit, it was always a ‘when’. From the very first time Ke$ha got on that gold bike, her chart success with this dirty little ditty was only ever a matter of time. And no, that’s not supposed to be a pun on the song’s title.

I mean it would’ve been a good one if it WAS, but I didn’t do it on purpose.

The fact that I’m writing this a few weeks before the CD hits the shelves, while in the sure knowledge that people are already downloading this in sizeable numbers is neither here nor there. It’s a hit, a palpable hit, as Shakespeare would say.

OK, fair enough, a certain amount of the ground work for this has already been done by her Ladiness of GaGa, this being something of a lost sibling to ‘Just Dance’ in places, but that doesn’t mean Ke$ha has nothing to bring to the party. She’s no lady, for starters, and she’s pretty gaga…

That was a cheap shot, something Ke$ha clearly knows a fair amount about, if her slurred tales of drunken nights out and general terribly bad behaviour are anything to go by. She does make it sound kinda fun though. OK, LOTS of fun. In her world, it’s always happy hour, always ladies night, and if things get messy at the end, well that’s just proof that you’re having a good time.

Pop songs are allowed to say stuff like this, because they are short. They only ever aim to capture one tiny moment in time. It’s not exactly health and safety, but there again, when was the last time health and safety claimed to look hot on a stage, mic in hand?

Exactly, people should know their jobs and stick to them.

For example, mine is to tell you again that this has ‘hit’ written all over it, you just can’t see it cos it’s too damn dirty.

Four stars

After lending her vocals to Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” Ke$ha offers her own fun and frivolous ode to a wild night out. “TiK ToK” finds the 22-year-old singing teasingly about excess pleasures, from drinking (”Ain’t got a care in the world but I got plenty of beer”) to men (”We kick ‘em to the curb unless they look like Mick Jagger”). In case that weren’t enough, Ke$ha also alludes to brushing her teeth with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and name-drops Diddy, who provides a quick cameo for good measure. The song is a love letter to DJs everywhere, with hand claps that build to a crescendo of pure, infectious dance-pop. Ke$ha’s debut album is due in late 2009, and with this first solo effort, the singer reveals a knack for getting the party started.—Kelsey Paine

Scurrying over to the BMI stage, I wasn’t expecting much from electropop songstress Ke$ha. Upon first glance, she looked like a burnt-out Hilary Duff on an Adderall binge. To a certain extent, that’s a pretty apt assessment. However, Ke$ha’s drunk-pop swagger surprisingly didn’t come off as a shuck and jive routine. By proclaiming that “It’s hot as balls out here!” Ke$ha instantly grabbed the crowd’s attention. Backed by DJ Skeet Skeet (I know!), Ke$ha sped through songs with lines like “Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack/Because when I leave for the night, I ain’t coming back.” Sure, she came off as a sugary guilty pleasure in the vein of The Veronicas, but it was her intriguingly nonchalant disposition that won me over. That, and the condom gun. Sporting a Ghostbusters-like backpack gun, Ke$ha’s keytar player blasted the crowd with sparkly confetti and “K$”-marked condom packages. Overall, the set was cheap, extremely short, and left the audience wanting more. Just like crack.

Source: Time Out Chicago