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Country fans might not be familiar with dance-pop artist Ke$ha, but the 22-year-old global chart-topper best known for the hit 'Tik Tok' has some unique Music City connections -- including one with Dolly Parton.Born Kesha Rose Sebert, the flamboyant entertainer's mom, Pebe Sebert, was a songwriter whose tunes were covered by Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard and Dolly, who took her 'Old Flames Can't Hold a Candle to You' to No. 1 in 1980.
Although Ke$ha's party anthems wouldn't be confused with anything happening in country music today, the singer has a passion for old-school country. She tells PopEater, "I think people should know the classics -- Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, also Townes Van Zandt, I'm a huge fan of him."
Ke$ha also cites Bob Dylan's 'Nashville Skyline' as one of her favorite albums of all time, "because I grew up in Nashville, and so everything about that record is really special to me. When you listen to that record, especially on vinyl, and you're either falling in love or waking up after a long night and you're with all your friends, it just brings up a lot of nostalgia. It's definitely worth a listen, I think everybody out there should be familiar with that record."
The singer says the advantages to having grown up in Nashville were evident both at school and at home. "The cool kids played the most instruments. Me and my brother had a punk band; me and my mom wrote songs and I taught my little brother all about music," she says, adding, "[My mom] really taught me to tell a story, tell the real story and be honest. So, I [took] that mentality of country music and just put it in the words of a then-19-year-old sassy girl."
Download Ke$ha Songs
Ke$ha on AOL Music
