Dr. Luke's label won't let Kesha perform at Billboard Music Awards

UPDATE: May 17, 2016, 4:17 p.m. PDT

Kesha has issued a statement on Instagram denying that her Billboard Music Awards performance was ever going to be about Dr. Luke. Rather, she was going to perform a cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me, Babe." 

"I'm very sad and sorry to say I won't be allowed to do this. I just wanted to make very clear that this performance was about me honoring one of my favorite songwriters of all time and has never had anything at all to do with Dr. Luke," she wrote. "I was never going to use a picture of him, speak of him or allude to my legal situation in any way. I simply wanted to sing a song I love to honor an artist I have always looked up to. thank u all for the continued support."

Original story:

As of now, Kesha will no longer perform at Sunday's Billboard Music Awards, where she was rumored to have a "statement performance" about Dr. Luke in the works.

A representative for Dick Clark Productions said in a statement to Mashable that Dr. Luke's label, Kemosabe Records, is preventing the performance.

A report surfaced last week via TMZ that Kesha had plans for a performance with "direct references" to her ongoing legal battle with the producer. The performance "might even include images of him," the site reported. 

"Kesha accepted an invitation to perform on the show and she received written approval from Dr. Luke's record label, Kemosabe Records," Dick Clark Productions said in a statement to Mashable Tuesday. "Kemosabe subsequently rescinded its approval following a media report on Wednesday May 11 regarding Kesha’s appearance on the BBMAs. Unfortunately, Kesha and Kemosabe have since been unable to come to an agreement for Kesha to perform on the show."

Earlier this year, a judge denied Kesha's request to be released from her contract at Sony, where she's signed to Kemosabe. In October 2014, the "TiK ToK" singer filed a lawsuit against the producer, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, accusing him of "sexually, physically, verbally and emotionally" abusing her over their decade-long working relationship. Before New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich had denied the injunction request, lawyers for Dr. Luke and Sony had maintained that they would allow the singer to work with other producers besides Dr. Luke. 

In their appeal in March, Kesha's lawyers likened the contract to slavery, saying, "You can't force someone to work . . . in a situation in which they don't want to work."

Lawyers for Dr. Luke have maintained that "any claim that she isn’t 'free' is a myth." 

Last month, Kesha released her first single since 2013 with, "True Colors," a collaboration with Zedd. When the song was released, Zedd clarified that it was released with the permission of Kemosabe and RCA.

While she may be able to release new music with permission from Kemosabe, apparently, she can't do this. 

Representatives for Kesha and Sony have not responded to Mashable's request for comment.

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