Kesha stirs controversy with 'Die Young' (Updated January 2, 2013)

If 2009 was a banner year for Kesha, then her march through 2012 was the antithesis to success. Criticized early in the year for vocals heavily processed with auto-tune, she seemed to fall out of favor with fans who clamored instead for artists like Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. She also gave interviews to explain the direction of her music by telling MTV she just wants to showcase "sexiness and fun and not giving a f---."

Then came "Die Young." The party tune about living for the moment seemed destined for the top of the charts until the Newtown, Conn., school shootings had reverberations in the radio world. It contained the chorus: "Let's make the most of the night like we're gone die young/We're gonna die young/We're gonna die young." Program directors at pop stations in Connecticut and around the country took the song out of their rotations in the day after the December 14 shootings. Airplay dropped 19 percent in one week, and the songstress used a string of Twitter posts to assert that she had objected to the lyrics but was "forced" to sing them.

The controversy came just a month after Kesha's second album, "Warrior," was panned by some critics who cited its immaturity, 'dumb' songs and misplaced beats. Still, the girl with the party persona refused to apologize for what one major newspaper called 'post-millennial recklessness.'

Despite the ups and downs, Kesha rocked MTV's Club NYE 2013 in Times Square to help ring in the New Year. And though she doesn't have any 2013 tour dates currently scheduled, she is touting a new book called "My Crazy Beautiful Life," and will most certainly be back on the road in the near future in support of her current projects.

About Ke$ha

Kesha (sometimes written in its stylized form of Ke$ha) set the musical world on fire with her debut single "Tik Tock" in 2009 and was ranked No. 1 in more than 10 countries. As a 20-something, Kesha has succesfully connected with the key demographics of high school students, college students and recent grads. Her debut album "Animal" topped the charts in 2010 in the US, Canada and Greece, and has sold more than 2 million units. Kesha Tickets are a hot property. She is from Nashville, TN but was born in the West coast in LA. Now she tops the charts with her dance-pop jams.