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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kesha_2017.jpg]]
2
3->''The party don't start till I walk in...''
4-->-- '''"Tik Tok"'''
5
6[floatboxright:Influences:
7+ Music/{{ACDC}}, Music/ArcadeFire, Music/BeastieBoys, Music/{{Beck|Musician}}, Music/{{Blondie|Band}}, Music/BobDylan, Music/BritneySpears, Music/JohnnyCash, Music/{{The Damned|Band}}, Music/DinosaurJr, Music/FlamingLips, Fugazi, Music/LedZeppelin, Music/{{Madonna}}, Aaron Neville, Music/DollyParton, Music/IggyPop, Music/{{Queen}}, Music/TheResidents, Music/VelvetUnderground]
8
9Kesha Rose Sebert (born March 1, 1987), known mononymously as Kesha (formerly stylized as Ke$ha) is an American singer-songwriter.
10
11Born in UsefulNotes/LosAngeles but raised in UsefulNotes/{{Nashville}}, Kesha first reached prominence in the music industry with (uncredited, at the time) guest vocals on "Right Round" by Music/FloRida, which was released to global success in early 2009. During this time, she also wrote songs for Music/MileyCyrus ("The Time of Our Lives"), Music/TheVeronicas ("This Love"), and Music/BritneySpears ("Lace and Leather"), among others.
12
13By the end of 2009, she released her debut single "Tik Tok", which became a ''massive'' hit. In addition to setting a record for the most downloads in a single week by a female artist (610,000), it also has the distinction of being the fifth-highest selling digital single of ''all time.''
14
15Her debut album ''Animal'' was then released on the very first day of [[UsefulNotes/TheNew10s the 2010s]], and proved to be a similar success on the charts worldwide. After a string of additional hits ("Blah Blah Blah", "Your Love is My Drug", and "Take It Off"), ''Animal'' was re-released as ''Cannibal'', supported by the singles "We R Who We R" (which gave Kesha her second #1) and "Blow."
16
17Kesha's second album, ''Warrior'', was released in 2012 to middling success. During this time, she also teased a collaborative album with the Music/FlamingLips --titled ''Lipsha''-- which was ultimately canceled because of issues with her label and frequent producer Dr. Luke. In 2016, Kesha's long-running tension with Dr. Luke specifically exploded messily in the news, with claims that Kesha was legally forbidden from releasing new music because of it.
18
19Despite her personal (and professional) troubles, Kesha finally released a third studio album, ''Rainbow'', in 2017 -- her first in nearly five years. Characterized by [[DarkerAndEdgier achingly personal lyrics]] and a [[NewSoundAlbum more organic sound]] than her previous efforts, ''Rainbow'' earned Kesha the critical acclaim she'd perhaps lacked until up until that point. It's also notable for including a cover of "Old Flames (Can't Hold a Candle To You)" by Music/DollyParton --a song co-written by Kesha's mother, Pebe Sebert-- which she previously covered on her ''Deconstructed'' EP in 2012. [[CreatorCameo The new version also features Dolly Parton herself on guest vocals.]]
20
21Her fourth record, ''High Road,'' dropped in early 2020. Following up from the cathartic material on ''Rainbow,'' Kesha described it as a [[LighterAndSofter return to the brighter tone of her early work]], and blends the more down-to-earth elements of the last album with the party-focused subject matter of ''Animal'' and ''Warrior''. In November 2020, she started the podcast, ''Kesha and the Creepies'', where she explores and discusses the occult, urban legends and simliar subjects pertaining to the supernatural.
22
23Kesha's {{signature style}} can be roughly summed up as {{retraux}}-style {{synth pop}} with {{t|heLadette}}omboyish [[OneOfTheBoys lyrical themes]] and AutoTune up the wazoo. She typically includes satirical lyrics that objectify men to point out how male singers and rappers tend to objectify women. She also incorporates a a healthy dose of rock influence, and has collaborated with famous rock musicians such as Music/IggyPop, Music/AliceCooper, and Music/FlamingLips. (Alice Cooper noted that she wasn't a pop diva so much as a rock star). She also frequently incorporates a talky style of rapping with exaggerated phrasing and enunciation. [[GenreRoulette She tends to experiment a bit.]]
24
25----
26!!Discography:
27* ''Animal'' (2010)
28** ''[[UpdatedReRelease Cannibal]]'' (2010)
29* ''I Am the Dance Commander + I Command You to Dance: The Remix Album'' (2011)
30* ''Warrior'' (2012)
31** ''Deconstructed'' (2012)
32* ''Rainbow'' (2017)
33* ''High Road'' (2020)
34* ''Gag Order'' (2023)
35----
36!! Let's make the most of these tropes like we're gonna die young:
37
38* AbhorrentAdmirer: Kesha being pursued by an old man she isn't interested in on her song "Dinosaur".
39* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: "thE dee-gen-ER-ates" (the degenerates) from "Warrior" comes to mind.
40* ActionGirl: In "Blow".
41* AlbumClosure: ''Rainbow'' ends with "Spaceship," a song about [[TheXenophile wanting to be]] [[AlienAbduction carried off by aliens]] after death. It contains a lengthy, [[AuthorTract philosophical]] SpokenWordInMusic bridge about how humans are made of star-stuff and connected to all of creation.
42* TheAlcoholic: At least in her songs' lyrics. Gradually shook this image off.
43* AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: Meta-example with the music video for "Blow" - the last chorus has Kesha and James Van Der firing off gunshots that have rainbow trails following them.
44* AntiLoveSong: "Blah Blah Blah" (Basically a sex and leave song), "Dirty Love," (Just after sex again), "Thinking Of You," (I loved you, broke my heart but now I'm a star), and "Die Young" (Break up with your lover to come with me).
45* AutoErotica: "Gold Trans Am". As she bluntly states at the beginning of the song, [[RefugeInAudacity "This song makes me wanna have sex in my car."]]
46* AutoTune: Quickly became the poster girl for this trope as she embodied it almost as much as Music/TPain. Her later works have downplayed the usage of Auto-Tune.
47* BadGirlSong: "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin A Bad Girl's Lament]]", one of her unreleased ones.
48* BeYourself: "We R Who We R", "Warrior", "Crazy Kids", "All That Matters (Beautiful Life)", "Love Into The Light".
49* BestialityIsDepraved: She makes out with a unicorn in the music video for "Blow".
50* BlahBlahBlah: One of her songs is named this.
51* {{Bowdlerise}}: An edit for "Woman" changes the chorus from "I'm a motherfucking woman" to "I'm an independent woman".
52* BreakUpSong: "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes", "Blind", "Kiss N Tell", "Hungover", "C U Next Tuesday", "Last Goodbye."
53* TheCameo: In "[[Music/KatyPerry I Kissed a Girl]]".
54* {{Camp}}: The over-the-top party imagery, the cheesy lyrics, the silly teen slang, the exaggerated ValleyGirl[=/=]AutoTune voice...yeah, she's got enough camp for Yellowstone.
55* CelebrityCameo: James Van Der Beek cameos as a fictionalized version of himself that rivals Kesha in the music video for "Blow".
56* CityShoutOuts: "Tik Tok" has a customized version on at least one UsefulNotes/{{Nashville}} radio station that had a rewritten intro verse [--(that included Nashville and "because I'm from this city!")--] and included one of the station's [=DJ=]s' name in the place of the word "DJ" in the chorus. [[note]]It sounded real at the time, but as there don't seem to be any records of this version online it could have been a station edit.[[/note]]
57* ConceptAlbum: ''Animal'' is about empowerment and individuality, ''Cannibal'' is grief and strength, ''Warrior'' is magic, ''Rainbow'' is recovery and moving on, and ''High Road'' is [[BeYourself being yourself]].
58* ChainsawGood: In the second "Take It Off" video. It shoots lasers, too.
59* ChekhovsGunman: Her family housed Creator/ParisHilton and Creator/NicoleRichie in a 2005 episode of ''Series/TheSimpleLife''; Kesha appeared as their "daughter who is really into music".
60* CentralTheme: Be your own strange self and it's okay to not take life seriously.
61* CondescendingCompassion: "Praying" is absolutely filled to the brim with this sentiment:
62-->Oh, sometimes I pray for you at night\
63Someday, maybe you'll see the light\
64Oh, some say, in life, you're gonna get what you give\
65But some things only God can forgive\
66\
67I hope you're somewhere prayin', prayin'\
68I hope your soul is changin', changin'\
69I hope you find your peace\
70Falling on your knees, prayin'
71* CoolCar: Her gold Trans Am gets a couple shout-outs before getting a song devoted to it.
72* CuteKitten: Used these to troll her fans about ''Warrior'''s artwork.
73* DarkerAndEdgier: Her ''Warrior'' album has a parental advisory sticker, not for no reason...
74* DeadpanSnarker: She practically does this while singing.
75** From an interview with The Times: "Everyone's really offended by that. But come on, brushing your teeth with Jack Daniel's: what girl does that? People are like, 'Do you really advocate brushing your teeth with bourbon?' I'm like, '[[SarcasmMode Yes, actually, I do, every day, for everybody. Especially eight-year-olds.]]' I mean, what are you talking about? Of course I don't. Come on."
76** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHuvnLBwkK8 Paris Hilton's Closet]]." That is all.
77* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: In "[=TikTok=]" she says words twice. Such as "Pedicure on my toes toes. Trying on all our clothes clothes. Boys blowing up are phones phones!"
78* DirtyOldMan: "Dinosaur" is about an elderly man who tries to pick her and her friends up at a club and their disgust at him.
79* DisappearedDad: Grew up in a single-parent home and doesn't know who her father is (or whether or not he's still alive).
80** There are some {{epileptic tree|s}} theories that Creator/JohnTravolta is her father, based on some photo comparisons and some facts like that her mom was a singer/songwriter in Los Angeles at the time of her conception.
81* EightiesHair: In the "We R Who We R" music video.
82* EraSpecificPersonality: Before finding mainstream success with her auto-tuned party music, she was known as 'Kesha Sebert', whose music had a distinct indie/folk sound. One such example of her work can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u29qK84uvI here]], as well as in ''WesternAnimation/TheBarbieDiaries'' as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it7BKJ2ozwg "Invisible"]].
83* EverythingsBetterWithSparkles:
84** In an ''Entertainment Weekly'' article, she professed to "the healing power of glitter" as a hangover cure. Not to mention her eye makeup on the page photo. She even has a guy to literally ''bathe her in a mixture of glitter and baby oil.''
85** The video for "Take It Off" turns into a multicolored glitterfest by the second half. It is literally just rainbow clouds of glitter flying around the screen while people dance.
86** Averted on her CD, which is mostly sparkle-free.
87* {{Fanservice}}: "Take It Off" and "Your Love Is My Drug".
88* FunWithAcronyms: I'll ''C U Next Tuesday''.
89* GenderFlip:
90** "Blah Blah Blah" was written as an inversion of all the rap songs that objectify women -- the entire song is about her telling guys to shut up, strip naked and have sex with her.
91** "Kiss N Tell" and "Thinking of You" both call a man a slut for sleeping around, and in "Grow a Pear" inverts "Females are the weaker sex" arguments.
92* GenreRoulette: ''Rainbow'' holds '''nothing''' back in this department. Rock, pop, gospel, country, funk and more. ''High Road'' does the same with a side of the electropop that defined her early career.
93* GriefSong: "The Harold Song" is often thought to be about the death of a former boyfriend, however this is not true.
94* GospelRevivalNumber: "Raising Hell" is one of these with a classic Kesha twist, using [[SelfBackingVocalist self-backing vocals]], an organ-driven instrumental and [[{{Sexophone}} a killer sax riff on the drop]] to give a pastoral spin to a tune about being anything but a paragon of virtue.
95* GunsAkimbo: In the laser gun duel in "Blow".
96* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: The song "[=TiK ToK=]" is basically about waking up hung over, getting drunk, heading out to the club, and getting more drunk.
97* HumanHeadOnTheWall: The ending to the music video for "Blow" has James Van Der Beek's head on the wall after his defeat in a laser tag match
98* HeyLetsPutOnAShow: She very sweetly decided to put on a benefit concert to help the victims of the flooding in Tennessee. This act won her a lot of good karma back in Nashville.
99* HeroicRROD / HeroicBSOD: Some of her non-parody songs sound like this, notably "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes". The unreleased "Save Me", to some extent.
100* IconicOutfit: Not applying to Kesha, for once. The green [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lurex lurex]] bikini top worn in the video by the brunette dancer/DJ girl in the video for "We R Who We R" during a scene which features [[ViralMarketing advertising for plentyoffish.com]]. This shows how popular Kesha's influence on fashion is.
101* TheIlluminati: More subtle than Music/LadyGaga or Music/{{Rihanna}}, but the symbolism is still there, mostly in regards to her eye-makeup.
102** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOubzHCUt48 Die Young]]" fully embraces it in typical Ke$ha style.
103** "Animal" also has her [[LightEmUp throwing around golden lazers shaped like pyramids]] for some reason.
104** "Rainbow" features a jacket with the word "Lucifer" on it, [[FridgeBrilliance though since Lucifer also means "light bringer" it has a more positive meaning as well]].
105* IntercourseWithYou:
106** "Party At A Rich Dudes House", "Your Love Is My Drug" and C'mon.
107** "Supernatural" is about [[BoyMeetsGhoul having sex with a ghost]]. WordOfGod claims that the song's based off a true incident--although considering Kesha, the seriousness behind that statement is in question.
108** In the "Warrior Interrogation" video, Kesha admits that "Gold Trans Am" is about her "hoohah". Cars to vaginas? Close enough.
109** "Dirty Love" deals with the no-strings-attached side of sex ("All I want is your dirty love"), with [[Music/TheStooges Iggy Pop]]'s verse dealing with the primal, "everyone does it" aspect.
110** "Kinky" is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin being kinky.]]
111* ImmediateSelfContradiction: In "Timber", she sings the line "Let's make a night you won't remember / I'll be the one you won't forget."
112* InterspeciesRomance: "Godzilla" is about being in love and dating Franchise/{{Godzilla}}.
113* TheLadette: At least it's what the lyrics indicate.
114* TomboyWithAGirlyStreak: "I'm talkin' pedicure on our toes, toes/Tryin' on all our clothes, clothes/Boys blowin' up our phones, phones".
115* LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand: The song "Tik Tok" uses this effect on the word "tipsy", appropriately enough, as well as the final "shut us dooooown". She uses it a lot in her music, to "Self Bleep" herself and such.
116* LightIsGood: The main theme of "Rainbow", down to rejecting the DarkIsNotEvil themes of goths.
117* LoveIsADrug:
118** "Your Love is My Drug".
119** "Stephen".
120--->You're my object of affection\
121''My drug of choice''\
122My sick obsession
123* LuckyCharmsTitle: Ke$ha (as put by ''Series/{{Glee}}'', "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh4T07xoluE Ke Dollar Sign Ha]]"). She dropped the dollar sign since 2014.
124* NewSoundAlbum: In [[http://www.freshyesh.com/post/kesha-in-this-months-rolling-stone/ an interview with Rolling Stone]], [=Kesha=] claimed that ''Warrior'' would be influenced by ''The Music/FlamingLips and Music/ArcadeFire.'' She also confirmed that it would be influenced by '70s cock-rock, and that she wanted to move pop into a rock direction with the album. It's better to say that she split it between heavy dance tracks for half of the album, and then [[MoodWhiplash mood whiplashes]] us into the cock-rock (and occasional ballad without Auto-Tune) out of nowhere with the help of [[Music/TheStooges Iggy Pop]]. And it is glorious.
125** Still, apparently, she wasn't allowed to do what she wanted there, especially in the midst of the Dr. Luke allegations. She has stated ''Rainbow'' is "truly from the inside of [her] guts", and if its first singles, "Praying" (a piano ballad with soul elements) and "Woman" (a funk throwback with a ClusterFBomb chorus), weren't enough, ''Rainbow'' itself shattered her "hot mess" image once and for all with a [[GenreRoulette diverse collection of songs]].
126* MisandrySong: "Blah Blah Blah" is about her ordering a group of men to have sex with her, and to not talk or speak up about it.
127* NoodleIncident: The video for "Blow" gives us this gem.
128--> "So, I grabbed the bear by the throat, looked him right in the eyes, and I said 'Bear, you have 'till the count of ''zero'' to put some pants on and to apologize to the President.' And, um...that's the story of how I was elected to the Parliament of Uzbekistan."
129* NonAppearingTitle: "The Harold Song" as his name is never dropped in the song's lyrics.
130* ObsessionSong: "Boots N Boys" is about her obsession with doing business with her guy friends.
131* OneOfTheBoys: She is regarded as [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the girl]] of her guy friends in most scenarios in her videos and music.
132* TheParody: Possibly her entire career.
133** "Your Love Is My Drug" - supposedly a DeconstructiveParody of love songs in AutoTune.
134** "Blah Blah Blah" could be seen as a parody of the "pop princess genre" -- alternatively it could be parodying the rap culture of objectifying women, or objectification in general, or...
135* PictorialLetterSubstitution: Kesha's name was originally stylized as Ke$ha to parody what she saw as "the gluttony and excesses of a lot of people in the limelight." After going through rehab to address her struggles with bulimia, she dropped the dollar sign from her name, later stating that she did so as part of her efforts to separate herself from former collaborator Dr. Luke, who she accused of sexual abuse later that year (and who suggested adding the dollar sign in the first place).
136* PoesLaw: Kesha's lyrics tended to exaggerate and milk the "hot mess" stereotype for all it was worth. But, surrounded by other artists (like Music/TheBlackEyedPeas and Music/{{LMFAO}}) who were embracing party music just as much, but without a drop of irony, she instead became a figurehead of the dance-pop scene. And a lot of people ''still'' don't get it.
137* PrettyInMink: In the video for "Take It Off", she grabs a white fur coat from a car and wears it briefly.
138* ProtestSong: "V.I.P." has a pretty strong undercurrent of this. "Party At A Rich Dude's House", too.
139* RecordProducer: Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco co-wrote and produced most of her songs from ''Animal'' to ''Warrior''. After her hiatus, her collaborators diversified, including the likes of Ricky Reed, Stuart Crichton, Drew Pearson, Jeff Bhasker and Stint, along with a collaboration with Music/BenFolds on the title track of ''Rainbow.''
140* RevengeBallad: A secondary theme of "Rainbow", where she vows to bury her offender:
141-->I'll bring fire, I'll bring rain\
142And when I'm finished, they won't even know your name
143* RockMeAmadeus: "Take It Off" borrows from "The Streets of Cairo"
144-->"There's a place downtown where the freaks all come around \
145It's a hole in the wall it's a dirty free for all"
146* RunningGag: The 'bottle of Jack' used to be a running gag. Now it's glitter, which she is obviously aware of.
147* RefugeInAudacity: She's been described as "the degenerate Series/HannahMontana"; whereas other pop artists would deny their crude, party-girl image, she (until 2014) completely embraced it (just watch the video for "[[HardDrinkingPartyGirl TiK ToK]]") in what she calls "the war on pretension".
148* SelfEmpowermentAnthem: "We R Who We R" is about being yourself and going all out on it.
149* ShoutOut: Her signature makeup style includes [[Film/AClockworkOrange dramatic mascara at only her right eye]]. She's confirmed this as an intentional shout out.
150* SillyLoveSongs: "Your Love Is My Drug." "Only Wanna Dance With You", "Animal", "Wherever You Are", "Supernatural".
151** "Stephen" also applies, a disturbing example of this trope.
152--->''You're my object of affection''
153--->''My drug of choice''
154---> ''My sick obsession''
155* StalkerWithACrush: The narrator of "Stephen". ''Very'' much so.
156-->Stephen... I'll knit you a sweater. I wanna wrap you up... in my love... forever. I would ''never'' let you go, Stephen. I'll never let go.
157* StealthParody: Based on [[http://www.keshasparty.com/us/home her website]], [[http://www.myspace.com/kesha MySpace page]], intellect and public comments (she's said she doesn't take this very seriously), it's at least possible that Kesha's career is some kind of parody.
158* SpiritualAntithesis: Out of the world outfits, ideas, and creepy videos which in some degree don't make much sense, obsessed with partying, rebellion and 'fame', with a higher message, and lampshades various pop star expectations and then uses those tropes to their highest degree (Music/LadyGaga)...Except she does it for fun, is out there cuz she parties and she knows it, just does her thing and has not made herself the official spokesperson for any particular social group and just wants us all to have fun and love one another. StealthParody elements are more within Kesha's choices then Gaga's too.
159* SurprisinglyGentleSong:
160** "Feels Like Rain", "Goodbye", "Invisible" and of her album tracks "Wonderland", "The Harold Song" and "Animal".
161** "Past Lives" and "Love Into the Light" from her ''Warrior'' album.
162** "Lover", her new Dr. Luke-less song, is this as well.
163* SurrealMusicVideo:
164** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HMwPcK0uIM&feature=channel Take It Off Ke$ha 'n Friends Version]]" which opens with a Leopard and from there turns into a neon alley way rave with furries and {{Evil Sorcere|r}}ss Ke$ha winning an RPG dance battle.
165** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDPNGX6UMl8 Animal]]", which involves Ke$ha fighting backwards headed monsters in deep space and ends with a credible impression of a WaveMotionGun.
166** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edP0L6LQzZE Take It Off (Original Version)]]" which ends with a rave in an empty swimming pool filled with chalk dust. And that chalk dust used to be people.
167** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_qa3Ohwls Your Love Is My Drug]]" which turns into an animated acid trip by the end.
168** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFWX0hWCbng&feature=player_embedded#at=21 Blow]]", which starts with the line "So I grabbed the bear by the throat, looked him right in the eye, and told him 'you have until the count of zero to put some pants on and apologize to the president'. And that's the story of how I was elected to the Parliament of Uzbekistan." which Kesha tells to a pair of unicorns while drinking champagne. It then evolves into a club full of unicorn people and a laser gun fight with James Van Der Beek where the unicorn people bleed rainbows when hit with the lasers.
169* TakeThat: If you know anything about her history, it's hard to to see some songs like "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ym027RSVXM&feature=related Stuck Up]]" as anything but a Take That at Paris. More generally, a good third of her songs are TakeThat at either various stereotypes or her detractors.
170** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euGT_3d1cqc She did it again, this time to Westboro.]]
171* TeacherStudentRomance: Hot for teacher variety in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RFytL_UmuU Mr. Watson]]" to the Nth Degree.
172--> ''Mr. Watson I want to get with you.\
173I won't tell a soul what we're gonna do.\
174Wanna get my hands in your khaki pants,\
175teacher, teacher, what you gonna do?\
176Cause I am coming on to you.''
177* ThreeMinutesOfWrithing: "Blow," "Your Love is My Drug"
178** Subverted with "Timber", as the main singer is Music/{{Pitbull}}, meaning that the camera has to focus on him, too.
179* TitleTrack: Animal, Cannibal, Warrior, and Rainbow.
180* TheSomethingSong: "The Harold Song" on her ''Cannibal'' EP.
181* TitleOnlyChorus: ''Your Love Is My Drug''
182* UncannyValleyMakeup: "We R Who We R".
183* UnconventionalFoodUsage: The song *Tik Tok* includes the line 'Brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack', referring to a brand of alcohol.
184* WaveMotionGun: Although perhaps not necessarily a real example, when seen with the explosion at the start or the Magic Missile Beam Spam earlier in the official video for ''Animal'', it's hard not to see this towards the end when she lobs a giant pillar of light into the sky.
185* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: The American flag t-shirt, as well as a sparkly cape with an American flag design on the inside she wore for a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' performance.
186* XtremeKoolLetterz: "We R Who We R".
187* {{Yandere}}: "Stephen"
188** And even further with "Hunt You Down".

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