AMAs 2019: Kesha Performs TiK ToK, Fans Love Seeing Her Return to ‘Her Weird Self’

Kesha sang fans’ favorite throwback at the American Music Awards of 2019 on Sunday, and social media lost its collective mind. The pop star performed “TiK ToK,” her breakout hit from 2009, long before her personal and career drama rocked the entertainment industry. It was the perfect way to wrap up the decade in music.

Kesha was one of 14 performers at the AMAs on Sunday night, and she was one of social media’s favorites. She was kept the suspense alive as she started “TiK ToK” a capela, surrounded by a full compliment of dancers who went crazy when the beat dropped.

Twitter lit up with nostalgia and pride over Kesha‘s performance. Many recalled the days when the song had just come out, and marveled at how much had changed between then and now.

“I feel awkward saying this but I’m so happy to see [Kesha] getting back to her weird self,” one fan tweeted with a heart emoji.

“Kesha performing the song that started the decade at #1 for 9 weeks at the last 2010’s award show,” added another.

“Kesha just showed gen z kids what tik tok really means,” a third person joked.

Beyond the nostalgia and joy for fans, Kesha singing “TiK ToK” in 2019 was a triumphant moment for the pop star, and for women in general. As her close followers know, Kesha’s meteoric rise hit a bump in the road in 2014, when she entered rehab for an eating disorder. With the clarity and support of rehab, Kesha found the strength to speak out about the abuse allegedly she had suffered from her former producer, record executive Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald. She sued Gottwald, claiming that he had drugged and sexually assaulted her, in addition to emotionally abusing her for about a decade.

Gottwald denied the allegations, and Kesha is still hashing out the legal battle in court. In the meantime, her promising career as a pop singer was derailed by a narrative of abuse and exploitation. Whether she liked it or not, Kesha was forced to become a symbol of survival and a leading voice in the Me Too movement.

Sunday’s performance proved that she can still sing a good-old-fashioned party anthem with the best of them, for those that had any doubt. Kesha told PEOPLE this month that the legal drama is behind her, and she hopes she get back on track, not letting her tragic history define her forever.

“You can go through s— and come out the other side swinging,” she said. “I want people to know that you don’t have to be defined by your past or be a prisoner of something that you had to go through — you are allowed to find happiness.”

Kesha’s new album, High Road, is due out on Jan. 10, 2020.