Kesha urges fans to beware of 'shady' acquaintances

Pop star Kesha has warned fans to "weed out" untrustworthy acquaintances "before they bite".

The Tik Tok hitmaker, who is currently embroiled in a nasty legal battle with producer and former mentor Dr. Luke, took to Instagram.com on Monday (30May16) to share her pointed words of advice to followers.

"mr peeps taught me about unconditional love," she wrote beside a photo of herself snuggling with her pet cat. "I adore my little trash cat. I am also so happy I have some people in my life that are trustworthy and loyal."

Her post then took a dark turn as she added, "weed the shady f**kers out before they bite. trust me."

Kesha has yet to expand on the reason for her cautionary social media post, but it emerges as she continues to fight Luke in court.

The 29-year-old is seeking to be released from her contract with his Kemosabe Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music, amid allegations she was subjected to sexual and emotional abuse from Luke during their 10-year professional relationship - accusations he has vehemently denied. Her request to terminate her contract was rejected earlier this year (16).

Kesha, who had taken time away from the spotlight to focus on her legal battle, recently returned to the stage at the Billboard Music Awards on 22 May (16), when she belted out an emotional rendition of Bob Dylan's It Ain't Me Babe as a tribute to the folk rocker.

She also took the stage at the Dylan Fest in Nashville, Tennessee to celebrate the veteran's 75th birthday on 23 and 24 May (16), but the consecutive appearances took a toll on her vocals.

She posted a selfie on Instagram, in which she pokes out her tongue, days after the gigs and wrote in the caption, "exahusted (sic). sleep time after no sleep for the past week. I've sang my little heart out and now my voice is gone. LOVE those of u who've been supportive and awesome. thank u (sic)."