Kesha was born in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles to a single parent. Her mother, Pebe Sebert, a singer and songwriter, looked after then infant Kesha onstage while performing. Pebe was struggling financially while supporting Kesha and her older brother, Lagan, at the time and they had to rely on welfare payments and supplemental nutrition assistance to get by. Pebe moved the family to Nashville, Tennessee in 1991 after securing a publishing deal. She often brought Kesha and her brothers, Lagan and Louis, along to recording studios and encouraged Kesha to sing. Pebe also taught Kesha how to write songs and they would often write songs together when she returned home from school. Kesha also mentions she was inspired to sing by her grandmother Rosemarie. She made her official stage debut at Lollapalooza as part of the BMI Stage. Her debut single, "Tik Tok", had been released digitally in the US in early August, and was sent to radio two months later in October. By then, Kesha had co-written the title song for Miley Cyrus' The Time of Our Lives EP, made appearances on Pitbull and Taio Cruz's albums, and appeared on the cover of Women's Wear Daily. Kesha listed Beck and Queen as her main musical influences. She draws from rap music and old-school punk as well and credits her older brother with exposing her to groups such as Fugazi, Dinosaur Jr. and the Beastie Boys. Kesha also lists her maternal grandmother Rosemarie Serbert as one of her musical influences. Kesha described her music as irreverent and defended her decision to make pop music for Animal as opposed to "more serious acoustic stuff", explaining that she wanted to "give people something that brings them joy." She stated that the title track of the album, which emulates the music of Flaming Lips and Arcade Fire, is the direction she would like to pursue on her next record. Kesha's lyrics are based on her life experiences and influenced by the storytelling style of country music. She has expressed interest in releasing a country music album in the future because of her love for the genre. She has expressed frustration at the double standard for the objectification of women in songs; in songs such as "Boots and Boys", she makes it a point to sing the same way men traditionally sang about women. Kesha describes her dress sense as "garbage-chic" and named Keith Richards as her fashion inspiration. Her stage makeup is characterized by dramatic makeup at her right eye, inspired by Stanley Kubrick's film, A Clockwork Orange. On the dollar sign in her stage name, Kesha states that she was being ironic, in that she does not believe in placing an emphasis on earning money. It came about after her Flo Rida collaboration achieved success worldwide; and yet she did not receive any money to show for it. When asked about being compared to Lady Gaga and other artists, Kesha said "[a]ny time you want to compare me to a successful woman, I'll totally take that." She got a dollar sign tattoo on her hand for the same reason. Kesha's first tattoo was that of an anchor given to her in Cuba.