If you’ve ever read the liner notes of a Kesha album, you’ve likely seen one name appear again and again: Pebe Sebert. Not only is Sebert the songwriter behind some of Kesha’s biggest hits, including “Timber,” she’s also the mother of the pop superstar. Now, the GRAMMY® Award nominated songwriter is resurrecting a project that was almost lost to time. Originally recorded in the early 1980s, Pebe Sebert has finally unveiled her long-awaited, self-titled debut album.
Back in the 1980s, Sebert was riding high on the #1 success of Dolly Parton’s “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You,” a song she co-wrote with her then-husband Hugh Moffatt. Following that breakthrough, she became a sought-after songwriter for a roster of country and pop heavyweights, including Kathy Mattea, Johnny Cash, June Carter, Crystal Gayle, and Merle Haggard. With her growing success, and the arrival of baby Kesha in 1987, it’s no surprise that the cassette of her own recordings was tucked away for a rainy day. But as fate would have it, in 2021, decades later, Sebert dusted off some boxes in her basement and uncovered those long-forgotten tapes.
Utilizing the cassettes with her recordings produced by Guy Roche (Christina Aguilera, Selena, Brandy, Celine Dion, Cher), Sebert enlisted Daniël Rios Mol and Jeffrey Wahl to help build out, restore, and master the album for modern ears.
Besides “Vampire” and “Hard Times Ahead,” which were released in 2021 and 2022, respectively, the album features standout songs, including “Fun To Be Young,” and several previously unheard gems.
The 11-track record blends Sebert’s celebrated songwriting with a sound so unmistakably eighties it just might make your hair poof.
And of course, it wouldn’t be a true eighties record without a vinyl release. A limited-edition 12” pressing is now available via Kesha Records, an independent imprint of Warner Music Group (WMG).
So dust off your Walkman, perhaps tucked away in a basement box of your own, and listen to “Pebe Sebert,” now streaming on digital and spinning on vinyl.
Featured Photo Credit: Courtney McElravy
Juice Box Press Founder and Editor-In-Chief, Amelia Cordischi is a highly accomplished digital marketing professional, with over a decade of experience in the field. Amelia’s work has been published in renowned publications, such as the Boston Globe. As a communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston and manager of Simmons College Radio (The Shark), Amelia launched and co-hosted her radio show, “The Find,” and showcased her artistic talents as a freelance photographer for Blended Magazine and CelebMix. Her journey in the media industry began at WCVB-TV Chronicle, an ABC Boston affiliate. There she gained valuable insights into the dynamic world of broadcasting.When not ricocheting around photo pits with her camera, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press article, she can be found indulging her thrifting passion and immersing herself in the world of sustainable fashion.