Kesha’s New Look: The Singer on Glitter, Gratitude, and Learning to Embrace Her Shape

Kesha’s morning beauty routine is simpler than you might expect for a girl once recognized for her gold-painted lips, heavy-lidded kohl gaze, and well-documented weakness for glitter. But during a recent visit to the Vogue offices, the newly fresh-faced singer admits that her days of channeling the feral Party Girl are mainly behind her. In town amidst an international tour and studio sessions working on new music, her healthy, freckled skin is proof that she means it. “I really wanted to make a change—be more raw and real,” explains the singer of her visual transformation, which is accentuated by her ladylike skirt and jacket. “I wanted to be more confident in myself—embrace every inch of my body—not try to cover up with makeup.”

The singer’s new outlook is as refreshing as it was hard-won. After the overwhelming success of 2009’s single “Tik Tok,” the Los Angeles native recalls going from playing for a room of 30 people to playing for a festival crowd of 6,000 nearly overnight. “All of a sudden I had all of these fans, but also [just as many] critics.” Her swaggering artist persona, glam rock hair, and “Alice Cooper”–inspired makeup, all designed to celebrate personal freedom, were polarizing. The backlash came from every direction—hackers, bloggers, even a colleague—and their daggers cut deep. “Slowly but surely my self esteem [started to] deteriorate.” What started as a concern with her body image eventually morphed into an eating disorder. At the beginning of 2014, when things came to a head, Kesha decided to press pause and recalibrate with a stay in rehab. Since then, she’s returned to the stage feeling happier and more herself. Now, one year later, she sits down to talk about her personal and physical evolution, the place for gratitude and glitter in her new life, and the power of self-acceptance.

You’ve gone through quite a beauty metamorphosis in the last year. Can you tell me what spurred the change?
I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. It’s been quite a journey. [With the criticism], I went to a dark place. There was a lot of not eating—and I started to think being hungry to the point of feeling almost faint was a positive thing. The worse it got, the more positive feedback I was getting. Inside I was really unhappy, but outside, people were like, “Wow, you look great.”

How did you pull yourself out of that cycle?
I was singing these songs like “We R Who We R,” and I really believed them. I wanted to be genuine. But I was sad and [I wasn’t eating]. That’s not good for your body, metabolism, or brain. I talked to my therapist, and she said, “I think it’s time we take a moment to address this.” I called my mom one night and I told her, “I need help.” I went to an eating-disorder specific rehab site where a nutritionist taught me that food is a positive thing for your body. I realized being healthy is the most important thing I can do for myself. Now, I’m trying to embrace the skin I’m in. It’s difficult sometimes. Every day I have to look in the mirror and make the choice to be kind to myself. This is who I am—I have to love that.

How do you feel now?
Part of being healthy is being positive. I don’t pay attention to the Internet or bloggers. I surround myself with positive people. I run a few miles on the beach every day, and I got into Transcendental Meditation to try to find some peace in my crazy life. [It reminds me] to be grateful for where I am, for my body, and my face—as imperfect as any of it may be.

It shows—you look great and your skin is glowing.
Well, I am a beauty hoarder—I have all sorts of face serums and lotions. And I have this facialist, Francesca Paige, who is a magician. Before I have anything [important to go to], I get this crazy oxygenating treatment—it makes your skin glow. And I get these collagen sheet masks from her that I soak in bottled water then put on my face. She’s a lifesaver.

What about your makeup? It’s quite pared-down these days.
Now I load up on mascara and lip balm, and [for shine] I use NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder on my cheeks. On my skin, I started using Dior’s Diorskin Airflash Spray Foundation when I was on tour—it’s so easy, like spray-paint for your face, but light.

Is that the look you wear onstage—no-makeup makeup?  
[Stage makeup] has to be bigger than what you would walk down the street in—lots of rhinestones, lots of drama. It’s my aesthetic, but on steroids. I draw a lot of inspiration from the period of time in the late seventies when men were wearing makeup with really tight pants and body suits, like [David Bowie as] Ziggy Stardust. There was a time when my makeup artist, Vittorio Masecchia, used to glue huge gemstones onto my face.

Looking back, do you have any beauty regrets?
Do you mean the gold tooth I had removed? [Laughs] No, I look back lovingly because I was having so much fun [with hair and makeup]. There was a time I went on the red carpet with a Mohawk, but I’ll probably never do that again. And before I went on stage I used to pour beer on my body [as an adhesive] then roll in a bathtub full of glitter. I don’t do that anymore because it irritated my skin.

Is there still a place for glitter in your life?
I’m not done with it forever—there are still hints of glitter.

Yes—it makes an appearance in the manicures you post on Instagram.
I’m obsessed with nail art. [Right now I have] an ombré French manicure. It started when I went to Japan—there’s this place esNail, and they would create 3-D flowers on my fingers, put crazy gemstones on them, and build small cities—I let it go to the point where I couldn’t even use my hands they were so blinged out. I’ve toned it down a bit, but I still like to have fun.  I’ve decided everything in my life should be fun, otherwise—what’s the point?

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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