Comparisons between rising star Ke$ha and Lady Gaga are obvious. They both sing catchy pop tunes, have an abhorrence for pants, have much-discussed music videos and are featured in talent show clips floating around YouTube.
That's where it ends.
While Stefani Germanotta's eye-opening performance at New York University's showcase shed light on the chart-topper in the making, Kesha Sebert's gig at her middle school talent show is a bit more of a reality check.
The 22-year-old Nashville native's rendition of Radiohead's "Karma Police" at age 13 is a bit more like that video taken of you in junior high that you hope no one ever sees. It's not necessarily bad or embarrassing—kudos to her for the courage to go for it at such a young age—it's just awkward.
But maybe it's also a little awkwardly endearing.
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Less than a decade later, Ke$ha was making a splash at New York Fashion Week!