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Kesha is on the run from a gang of really bad seeds in the action-packed video for her single “Joyride.” In the visual that dropped on Wednesday (Nov. 20), the singer makes a seemingly cheeky reference to her split with former producer/label boss Dr. Luke, with a voiceover saying that she is “set to be released after nine years of wrongful imprisonment” thanks to new evidence overturning her conviction.
Forget all that, though, because the high-octane clip co-directed by the singer, Laura Gorun, Dimitri Basil and Cooper Roussel is a cheeky homage to Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series, with Kesha playing the part of a red leather-clad hell-raiser on the run from a group of colorfully named hired assassins. From the fonts to the names of her tormentors, the clip has QT’s influence all over it.
After finding out — in Italian for no apparent reason — that her unnamed tormentor only has “60 miles of blacktop” to stop her from achieving her goal, Kesha slips into her driving leathers and hits the road as a helicopter fires rounds at her ride while she speeds down the desert highway in a vintage Jaguar convertible.
“Are you a man?/ Cuz I’m a b–ch/ I’m already rich/ Just looking for that mmmmm/ This party sucks I’m ’bout to ditch,” she sings over the bouncing rhythm of the Zhone-produced song that dropped on July 4. The high-speed pursuit includes a procession of would-be sharpshooters taking potshots at her, including Yippie & the Kiyays, Sadie the Stabber & the Crazyboys, Rowdy Ricky & the Red Flags, and the mega-jacked Derk Delusional (the One to Outrun).
Try as they might, their bullets never hit their target and the video ends with Kesha striking a series of poses on her ride before she hits the gas, seemingly on a collision course with a sawed-off shotgun wielding, shirtless Derk. The action ends with a tease for her upcoming single, “Delusional,” which is out on Nov. 29.
“Joyride” is the first single Kesha has released on her own label, Kesha Records, following the settling of the defamation suit filed by Dr. Luke in 2023, which came years after the singer filed a suit against the producer in 2014 alleging physical, sexual and emotional abuse; Dr. Luke has denied all the allegations.
Watch the “Joyride” video below.