Kesha thanks fans for support at first concert since dropping legal action

Kesha has labelled her legal battle with Dr. Luke "the hardest years of my life".

The 29-year-old singer hasn't been able to release a new album since her 2012 record Warrior as she has been embroiled in legal action against her label boss and former mentor Dr. Luke since 2014, when she accused him of emotional and physical abuse, which he denies.

Last week (ends07Aug16), Kesha has decided to stop pursuing her case against the producer, real name Lukasz Gottwald, in the state of California so she can relaunch her music career.

On Saturday night (06Aug16), the Tik Tok star took to the stage for the first time since the legal developments, playing to a sold-out crowd at The Waterfront venue in Harrah's Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

A clearly overwhelmed Kesha took the opportunity to thank her fans for their continued support, and revealed the toll the dispute has taken on her.

"You guys stuck by me during the hardest f**king years of my life," she said. "I'm serious. I could not have made it through without you."

The singer was only able to perform old material and cover tracks due to the ongoing legal battle with Dr. Luke in New York. But her fans were more than delighted with her performance, rushing the stage after Kesha told the crowd she wanted to be close to them.

Following her show, Kesha, who was in "great spirits" according to Harrah's management, partied at the venue with friends and family as well as boyfriend Brad Ashenfelter, Entertainment Tonight report.

After Kesha revealed she was dropping her case against Dr. Luke in California, her lawyer Daniel Petrocelli issued a statement to Rolling Stone revealing the singer did so in order to focus on her legal claims, including an appeal, in the New York courts.

"Kesha is focused on getting back to work and has delivered 28 new songs to the record label," he said. "We have conveyed to Sony and the label Kesha's strong desire to release her next album and single as soon as possible."

Kesha had tried to be released from her contract with Kemosabe Records, which is owned by parent company Sony, but her attempt was unsuccessful earlier this year (16).