I've got another confession to make...

In the words of the Fighters of Foo, I've got another confession to make: I like pop music. This shouldnt imply that I like all pop music, as I could certainly do without ever hearing Rihanna or Britney Spears again. But recently I haven't been able to get enough of a couple of undoubtedly overly poppy pop stars: Katy Perry and Ke$ha.

Of course this isn't a recent occurrence, as a former race report indicates, but just an affirmation, or perhaps a realization, of how epically awesome Katy and Ke$ha are. Say what you want, but you know they're like crack AND YOU JUST CANT GET ENOUGH. As if the addictive melodies and up-tempo rhythm isn't was't sufficient, many of the songs' lyrics are simply brilliant.

From "Ur So Gay", by KP:
You don’t eat meat
And drive electrical cars
You’re so indie rock it’s almost an art
You need SPF 45 just to stay alive

You’re so gay and you don’t even like boys
No you don’t even like
No you don’t even like
No you don’t even like boys

And from "Grow A Pear", by Ke$ha:

I'm not trying to be rude or crude
I just wanted one thing from you
And you got confused
You should know oh-oh-oh-oh,
That I la ah-ah-ah-ah-ove
You a law ah-ah-ah-aht
But I just can't date a dude with a vag

When we fell in love, you made my heart drop
Then you had me thinking 'bout you nonstop
But you cry 'bout this and whine about that
When you grow a pear, you can call me back
Yeah, I think you're hot, I think you're alright
But you're acting like a chick all the time
You were cool and now you're not just like that
When you grow a pear, you can call me back

Most importantly, though, both are admirable due to the hurdles they had to overcome to achieve success. KP grew up in a incredibly conservative Christian home and learned to love music at an early age while signing in the church choir. She knew she was talented and knew she wanted to pursue a music career, so at the age of 15 she got her GED and recorded her first album. At 17 she moved to LA and recorded another album, which also failed to garner much success. After continuing to write songs she finally found a record company and in 2008 at the age of 23 she released "I Kissed a Girl" and, well, the rest is history. She certainly could've given up along the way, but she had a goal and remained focused on it until she attained success.

Ke$ha came from even more modest beginnings as her mom relied on welfare and food stamps to get by. She too knew she wanted to be a musician from a very young age as she would write songs with her mom after coming home from school. Also, like Katy, she got her GED early to focus on her music career, despite the fact that she scored a 1500 on her SAT. Finally, Ke$ha made a guest appearance on one of the best Planet Money podcasts ever, which earns her HUGE bonus points!

So yes, this is a confession of an addict. Correspondingly, this is also a justification for liking something which has a negative connotation, for no good reason. You know you like KP and Ke$ha, so here is your excuse to admit it. They are both incredibly driven individuals who worked hard for their successes. How is that something to be ashamed of?