Ke$ha Song Pulled, 'Die Young' Yanked In Wake Of Sandy Hook Shooting (VIDEO)
Ke$ha's latest hit "Die Young" was quickly yanked from the airwaves following the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy on Dec. 14.
The day after 20 children were killed in the Newton, Conn., school, the single reached 3 million less listeners than the day before the tragedy, according to TMZ. Prior to the mass murders, a whopping 167 million listeners had heard "Die Young" play on the radio around the country.
By Monday, Dec. 17, "Die Young" had been exposed to 148 million listeners, 19 million less than the week before. The gossip website cited Mediabase, the company that tracked radio play, for the results. The last time a song had plummeted this quickly in radio support was in 2003 when a member of the Dixie Chicks insulted then President George Bush, according to the report.
Natalie Maines, the lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, announced at a concert that she was "ashamed" of Bush.
"Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas," Maines told a London crowd.
After Maines' statement, country music fans around the country demanded that radio stations no longer support the country singing group. As a result, radio stations stopped playing Dixie Chicks' music. In Kansas City, one radio station left trash cans outside of their office so listeners could throw away their Dixie Chicks CDs. An on-air personality at a radio station in Houston reportedly said, "We stand behind our president and we are proud he is from Texas."
Maines later issued an apology, saying, "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect."
Ke$ha, meanwhile, is set to join "Jersey Shore" stars Snooki and JWoww when they host MTV's annual New Year's bash for their special "MTV's Club NYE 2013." The singer will perform before a jam-packed crowd at MTV's headquarters in Times Square. Ne-Yo, Sean Kingston, Rita Ora and Conor Maynard are also scheduled to perform live.
"New Year's Eve is the one night of the year where everyone leaves their inhibitions at the door and comes together in a sweaty, drunken, dance-fueled orgy of bliss," Ke$ha told MTV News in a statement. "No one throws a party like MTV and I'm gonna be on hand to make sure it kicks ass."
Listen to Ke$ha's "Die Young," the single that has been dropped from radio airwaves following the Sandy Hook shooting
