Kaitlin Butts Covers Kesha's 'Hunt You Down' And Somehow Makes It Sound Even More Country

Tulsa, Oklahoma native Kaitlin Butts wraps her vocals around Kesha's “Hunt You Down” to create a version of the song that sounds even more country than the original. Written by Kesha and Rick Nowels, “Hunt You Down” first appeared on Kesha's 2017 album Rainbow. Butts' performance arrives as a standalone single at a time when cowboy music and culture is experiencing a resurgence, thanks to artists like Charley Crockett, Luke Grimes, and even Beyoncé.

“The first time I heard 'Hunt You Down,' I quickly identified with it,” Butts said in a statement. “It's a love song about making sure someone is committed to you, but also threatening a little murder. I think most people would agree that this is too branded for me. As I move into the next chapter of my music and coming off my more serious previous record, I wanted to make an impact with a song that makes you laugh, have fun, but also comes with a subtle undercurrent of menace.”

This “little murder” alludes to the narrator's not-so-subtle threat to her lover: “Just know that if you fuck/boy, I'll come after you,” Butz sings.

“Hunt You Down” follows Butts' 2022 album What else can he do? and heralds more new music from the songwriter, who revels in variety. “There's a part of me that loves pop music and musical theater and loves Americana and country music and the history behind it,” he said. Rolling rock last year. “If I can't have fun doing my job and following these little paths of things that I find fun — freedom of expression — I don't know what I'm doing.”

Butts is set to open for Dierks Bentley on his Gravel & Gold summer tour and also make a number of festival appearances. Earlier this month, she surprised her husband, Flatland Cavalry singer Cleto Cordero, on stage at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium to perform their duet “A Life Where We Work Out.”