To most, the Kesha that comes to mind is one who replaces her “s” with a dollar sign and her toothpaste with a bottle of Jack. She was Pop’s party girl back in 2009: messy, dirty and undeniably fun. But behind the scenes, everything was not as glittered and sexified as it seemed. For sixteen years, Kesha was caught in the clutches of a toxic situation known all too well by members of the Pop world. Her voice was owned by her label, Kemosabe. Years of debilitating disrespect and harmful treatment chipped away at her, but now, after a decade of slow-moving litigation, Kesha is finally free.

Earlier this July, Kesha released her first song as a free woman. Released under her new label, Kesha Records, “Joyride” is an endlessly pleasurable ode to pure joy. Fans at New York City’s Planet Pride Festival were lucky enough to hear a preview of the track before its release, as the singer teased the fun-loving track from tape to start her show. Halfway through, fans were already singing along.

In an interview with Billboard, Kesha discusses the track in the context of her explosive debut album Animal.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve felt similarly to how I did in that point in my life, when I was making music from a purely joyful place… It’s all really 100% me. That feels really good, just to step into my own worth, and my own power and not have anything in my mind or the external world say it’s anything but me. It’s pretty unavoidable that whether people like or hate ‘Joyride,’ it’s all me.”

Anticipating her performance at Lollapalooza this weekend, Kesha took over the House of Blues in Chicago on July 31st, welcoming fans to the House of Kesha. That night, Kesha channeled the joy of her younger self, with the same smudged black liner and chunky silver glitter under her eyes.

The crowd was insatiable; Kesha was giving and they couldn’t get enough. Along with multiple outfit changes, excitable dance numbers and a live drum line, she treated fans to the live debut of “Joyride.” Kesha was joined on stage by a set of buff backup dancers in leather dog (or bitch?) masks, who hoisted her above the crowd halfway through the track. She was a marvel of unapologetic confidence. As her lyrics note, she is mother, she loves herself, she’s a bitch and she does not care how you feel about it.

The show was filled with Ke$ha classics, from “Tik Tok” and “We R Who We R”, to radio regulars like “Timber,” “Your Love Is My Drug” and “Cannibal.” It was glitter galore; all the over-the-top romp that makes Kesha so unique.

She’s the queen of the scene, the matriarch of mess. Kesha was Brat before Brat was Brat. That night, she even replaced the iconic “Blow” intro with the now viral audio of Vice President Kamala Harris saying “you think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” It was everything, and then some.

Now that she is officially an independent woman, Kesha is back and better than ever. She's revealing in the exuberant joy of her freedom, as she did in her youth, and we’re just along for the joy ride. As she sings, “Don’t try to give [her] shit, [she’s] earned the right to be like this.”