I guess I have been living under a rock… because I had no idea Kesha’s wrote a massive country hit.. If you’re anywhere in your late 20’s and early 30’s, then I’m sure Kesha’s songs like “Your Love Is My Drug” and “TiK ToK” still bring the nostalgia. The pop star has had huge hits and at one time was probably the biggest pop star in the world, or on a short list as one of them, but she has also been in the media quite a bit over the last decade because in 2014, Kesha accused Dr. Luke, one of her former producers, of sexual, physical, emotional, and verbal abuse, and attempted to break her contract with his label, Kemosabe Records. After Kesha’s accusations, Dr. Luke filed a defamation lawsuit, noting that her claims were false and defamatory. While the two reached a settlement agreement in 2023, Kesha’s nearly decade-long battle was very tumultuous. That garnered a ton of attention, and Kesha is now back to putting out new music, and she comes by her musical chops very honestly because her mom, Rosemary Patricia “Pebe” Sebert, is a very accomplished songwriter who wrote one of Dolly Parton’s early hits, believe it or not, in addition to of course writing for her daughter as well as Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Cyrus, Pitbull and more. The songs Sebert wrote for other artists have combined sales of over 8 million copies in the United States alone, and she released her self-titled debut album in 2025 through Kesha’s own independent record label, Kesha Records. But really, her signature song which is now a country classic is “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You,” which Sebert penned with then-husband Hugh Moffatt (who is not Kesha’s father) for country artist Joe Sun for his album Old Flames. Dolly then included a cover of the song on her 1980 album Dolly, Dolly, Dolly, and it became a huge hit, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. I honestly had no idea, but it being Kesha’s mom who wrote such a country classic is kind of mind blowing… I never would have guessed it. But some of that country influence still shows up in Kesha’s own catalog from time to time, and she previously recorded an acoustic version of “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You” for her 2013 Deconstructed EP. Kesha also recorded a song called “Resentment” in 2019 for her 2020 album High Road, which features country’s own Sturgill Simpson on background vocals and harmonies in the song’s chorus, and Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys) and songwriter Wrabel are on it it too. Additionally, Kesha has worked with Morgan Wade, so she definitely knows her country, and I imagine that’s due in large part to her mom’s influence. And Kesha and Dolly brought “Old Flames” completely full-circle in 2017, Kesha and Dolly teamed up for a re-recording of the song for Kesha’s album Rainbow. While Kesha understandably had a lot going on in her personal life over the last decade or so, before that, she really was one of the world’s biggest young pop stars, and it’s cool to know that her mom is also a very important part of Dolly history. We have Kesha’s mom, Pebe Sebert, to thank for helping Dolly kick of her career with a massive hit and put her on the track to icon status… I mean, she has to be the coolest mom ever. “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You” Here’s the Kesha and Dolly duet: And “Resentment” with Sturgill: Kesha was also recently featured on Morgan Wade’s song “Walked on Water”: The post Did You Know Kesha’s Mom Wrote One Of Dolly Parton’s Biggest #1 Hits? first appeared on Whiskey Riff.