Kesha fans have been left furious after she lost two of the biggest awards of the 2018 Grammy Awards to British musician Ed Sheeran.
Fans took to Twitter in frustration that Kesha’s latest album, which stemmed from her harrowing experience of sexual harassment, was beaten by Ed’s latest album Divide.
Ed was not in attendance for the ceremony in New York on Sunday night, despite successfully scooping the prizes for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album, against such competitors as Lady Gaga, Pink and Kelly Clarkson.
Raging: Ed Sheeran has faced the brunt of angry Kesha fans after beating the singer for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2018 Grammy Awards
Kesha released her third studio album Rainbow in August 2017 after a lengthy hiatus from the music industry while the singer fought in court against Dr. Luke, claiming the producer verbally, physically and sexually abused her.
Kesha received her first ever Grammy nominations for Praying, in the pop solo performance category, and for her comeback album Rainbow, that was nominated in the pop vocal album category.
On the night, Ed took two out of a possible three gongs in both of those categories, which sparked fury among viewers at home.
Already a Grammy winner, Ed previously won the Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the ceremony in 2006.
Fans rushed to Twitter in outrage, with some suggesting the meaning behind her latest effort made her more worthy of the victory.
One tweeted: ‘Kesha wrote Praying after being through her literal worst nightmare. Ed Sheeran wrote Shape of You about a club girl he was horny for. Congratulations Recording Academy. Thank you for this.’
Upset: Despite the tragic story behind her latest music, Kesha lost out on the double win to Ed
Another wrote: ‘Ed Sheeran is a hell of a way to mispronounce Kesha.’
Another said: ‘I guess it’s a good thing Kesha didn’t win over Ed Sheeran, since the music industry doesn’t seem to care about examining its abuses of power.’
One other agreed saying: ‘Kesha really did go through hell and back to release Praying and get nominated for a Grammy, only to lose to an Ed Sheeran song about how he likes a woman’s body over a Sia sample #GRAMMYs’
Furious: Fans rushed to Twitter to complain that Kesha had lost out on the two awards
Another went on to say: ‘Well on the one hand Kesha poured the personal and societal pain of our 2017 zeitgeist through her vocal performance but on the other hand Ed Sheeran sounds pleasant on an elevator I guess.’
Kesha previously confirmed she would performing her song Praying during the ceremony, which the telecasts producer said would tie in nicely with the #MeToo movement.
‘I think people will come away with the sense that we are supporting or allowing the artist to make a statement,’ Ehrlich told Yahoo! Entertainment.
Rose from a rose: Kelly Clarkson was also among the stars nominated in Ed’s victorious categories
Nominated: Dressed in pink, with a token white flower, Pink was also a nominee
Symbolic: A-listers, including Lady Gaga, chose to wear flowers in support for the Me Too and Time’s Up movements by wearing a white flower
‘So we were actually thinking about doing this before the dam broke. I think it’s going to wind up being an important piece of the show.’
Following patterns shown on the red carpet this awards season, such as the all-black dress code of the Golden Globes, A-listers chose to show their support for the Me Too and Time’s Up movements by wearing a white flower.
Kelly Clarkson, Eve, Rita Ora, Cyndi Lauper and Lana Del Ray were among the many women who chose to accessorize their stunning dresses with the rose.
The ladies were lead by Gaga, who has been very open about the sexual abuse she suffered as a teen and has been a vocal supporter of the movements.
Previous winner: Ed previously won the Song Of The Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, in 2006
Music executives Meg Harkins of Roc Nation and Karen Rait of Interscope Records came up with the idea and spread the word within the entertainment industry, according to Billboard.
They said the white rose choice was inspired by the suffragettes, who wore white while protesting, and Hillary Clinton, who wore white when President Trump was inaugurated.
Harkins and Rait said their idea ‘grew like wildfire’.
The Time’s Up movement raises awareness of sexual assault, harassment and inequality in the workplace helps and sexual assault survivors take legal action against their abusers.
Missing out: Kesha’s fans believe she poured her heart and soul into her musical offering