Ke$ha Vs P!nk

The world changed forever on Friday when the lead single from Ke$ha's "Animal" re-release was unveiled. I fully expected the voice of our generation to deliver the goods but "We R Who We R" raises the bar of musical perfection even higher than I thought possible. Ke$ha's new anthem offers a riveting insight into the human condition with its touching message of acceptance and revelatory lyrics about social mores. But it's not all deep and meaningful. The diva's angelic vocals and Max Martin or Dr Luke's (it's still unclear who oversaw this masterpiece) crisp production make "We R Who We R" more infectious than herpes and a late contender for single of the year. It's official. Ke$ha is the new Queen of electro-pop! I was originally going to write about the fact that Gaga and Robyn have both been made redundant in one fell swoop but I thought I'd compare "We R Who We R" with P!nk's latest single "Raise Your Glass". Both tracks were apparently conceived by the same producers and examine similar themes - yet Ke$ha takes pop music to exhilarating new highs on her sure to be #1 smash hit, while P!nk's stillborn party anthem covers the same ground as her last ten singles. It was always going to be hard for P!nk to compete with a living legend but I honestly didn't think the outcome would be this one sided.

In the name of scientific research I've decided to break this down into categories. Starting with:

1. The Cover Art

The "We R Who We R" cover is truly iconic. It vividly captures Ke$ha's raw beauty and brooding sex appeal, while P!nk looks like a slightly more masculine version of Adam Lambert on hers. I note she's also hired Mariah's army of photoshop experts, while the realest girl in pop since Mutya wears her freckles and glorious rat's nest as a badge of pride. Ke$ha is such an inspiration!

2. Lyrics

As I mentioned earlier both songs cover similar territory. For want of a better description, they are both party anthems that urge the listener to embrace who they are and just have fun. However, the execution is quite different. P!nk promotes the irresponsible consumption of alcohol to convey her message on "Raise Your Glass", while Ke$ha not only finds religion ("Got Jesus on my necklace") - she also gives her fans a step by step guide to having a good night out. Take her stunning fashion advice:

I’ve got that glitter on my eyes
Stockings ripped all up the side
Looking sick and sexy-fied

She then outlines the perfect night out:

We’re sellin’ our clothes, sleepin’ in cars
Dressin’ it down, hittin’ on dudes (HARD!)

Amazing! On the other hand all P!nk can offer is this:

Don’t be fancy, just get dancey

EPIC FAIL. I think "Raise Your Glass" is the party anthem for nanas who want to sit at home and swig Sherry. Ke$ha is so down with the youth of today!

3. Production

"We R Who We R" is a different sound for Ke$ha. It's more dance than the heavy electro of her previous singles. Some deluded H8TRZ have compared the song to Usher's "DJs Got Us Falling In Love" but Queen Ke$ha would never lower herself to jumping on someone else's bandwagon. She is the last great innovator in pop! I partiuclarly love the ingenious use of autotune and subtle splashes of rave and techno. Unfortunately, "Raise Your Glass" sounds like every other song Max Martin and Dr Luke have written for Katy Perry and Kelly Clarkson. That's not necessarily a bad thing but P!nk has been recycling this sound since "I'm Not Dead". I miss the "Try This" days when she was still creative and real. As a result....

Ke$ha Wins!