Kesha fans stage Sony protest

Kesha has thanked fans for protesting outside Sony Music's New York headquarters by sharing a snippet of a new song.

A small group of dedicated Kesha followers rallied outside her label's Manhattan offices on Friday (26Feb16) to show their unwavering support for the singer, a week after she lost her bid to terminate her record contract. The six-album deal ties her to producer Dr. Luke, who she has accused of sexual and emotional abuse.

During the protest, demonstrators held up hand-made signs and chanted, "Dr. Luke is really whack, Kesha needs her freedom back!" They also performed an impromptu dance to her hit song We R Who We R, reports the New York Daily News.

"This is very emotional for us," explained 19-year-old event organiser Michael Eisele. "To see Kesha go through this is heartbreaking. This will keep going on until Kesha is free."

Her fans' efforts did not go unnoticed by the singer, who broke down in tears on 19 February (16) when a Big Apple judge rejected her legal request to release her from her contract with Luke's Kemosabe Records, a subsidiary of Sony.

Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, reached out to supporters on Twitter on Friday and shared a brief video clip of Kesha singing a new track.

"A special thanks to everyone who has had her back," he captioned the footage.

In the short video, Kesha sings, "I don't know what I would do, without you/I don't know where I would be, without...", before it cuts off.

It's not the first time the TiK ToK singer's followers have pounded the streets for the star - they previously protested outside Sony offices in January (16), prior to the judge's decision.

Kesha, who has been inundated with support from stars like Lady Gaga, Reese Witherspoon, Lorde, Adele, and Taylor Swift since the court setback last week, recently took to Facebook to express her gratitude to fans.

"This case has never been about a renegotiation of my record contract - it was never about getting a bigger, or a better deal," she wrote. "This is about being free from my abuser. All I ever wanted was to be able to make music without being afraid, scared, or abused.

"I think about young girls today - I don't want my future daughter - or your daughter - or any person to be afraid that they will be punished if they speak out about being abused, especially if their abuser is in a position of power," she added.

Dr. Luke has denied the abuse allegations and is pursuing a countersuit against Kesha, while Sony lawyer Scott A. Edelman released a statement on Thursday (25Feb16) insisting executives were "not in a position to terminate" the contract the singer signed with Luke a decade ago.