One of the stranger collaborations in mainstream music of late came when the Flaming Lips announced that Ke$ha, the glitter-covered, party-girl pop star behind "Tik Tok," would be guesting on this year's The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends record. The result was a pleasantly bizarre track titled "2012 (You Must Be Upgraded)." But the collabs didn't end there.
On December 4, Ke$ha releases Warrior, the follow-up to her platinum-selling debut, 2010's Animal. Her time spent with the Lips in the studio produced another gem, this time with her name on it, as well as co-writer Ben Folds. You might be surprised, but Ke$ha says she's a longtime fan of the Oklahoma psych-rockers.
"I've loved the Flaming Lips since I was 16," Ke$ha tells Exclaim! "I used to sneak into their shows when they came to Nashville. I just really love the whole way that they make music, it's so free, and I love the attitude, the live show is amazing."
The relationship began after the singer publicly spoke about her love for the Flaming Lips, a name-drop heard round the world — or at least two states over.
"I think Wayne [Coyne] read that in an interview and said something nice back," she explains. "Then we spoke on the phone and I invited him to my house. He showed up with a band full of dudes and they didn't leave my house for days. We ended up not sleeping and playing music for three days straight."
One session led to another, and quickly they became unlikely BFFs.
"There was another weekend where he came down too," she adds. "The first time we became friends and now we're really good friends. He texts me like every fucking day."
As for whether the Flaming Lips frontman lived up to Ke$ha's expectations, she says, "I just expected him to be a magical weirdo and he was. And he told me he thought I was a magical weirdo so I think we were in great company with each other."
As previously reported, Warrior arrives via Kemosabe/RCA Records.
On December 4, Ke$ha releases Warrior, the follow-up to her platinum-selling debut, 2010's Animal. Her time spent with the Lips in the studio produced another gem, this time with her name on it, as well as co-writer Ben Folds. You might be surprised, but Ke$ha says she's a longtime fan of the Oklahoma psych-rockers.
"I've loved the Flaming Lips since I was 16," Ke$ha tells Exclaim! "I used to sneak into their shows when they came to Nashville. I just really love the whole way that they make music, it's so free, and I love the attitude, the live show is amazing."
The relationship began after the singer publicly spoke about her love for the Flaming Lips, a name-drop heard round the world — or at least two states over.
"I think Wayne [Coyne] read that in an interview and said something nice back," she explains. "Then we spoke on the phone and I invited him to my house. He showed up with a band full of dudes and they didn't leave my house for days. We ended up not sleeping and playing music for three days straight."
One session led to another, and quickly they became unlikely BFFs.
"There was another weekend where he came down too," she adds. "The first time we became friends and now we're really good friends. He texts me like every fucking day."
As for whether the Flaming Lips frontman lived up to Ke$ha's expectations, she says, "I just expected him to be a magical weirdo and he was. And he told me he thought I was a magical weirdo so I think we were in great company with each other."
As previously reported, Warrior arrives via Kemosabe/RCA Records.