NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Kesha supporters held a small rally in New York on Friday (March 11), saying they were delivering petitions asking for the pop singer to be released from a recording contract.

Protesters held the demonstration across the street from Sony Music's Manhattan office, shouting chants such as "free Kesha now".

"We are here to deliver over 400,000 petitions from people from across the globe standing with Kesha and pressuring Sony to free Kesha from her contract right now," said protester Nicole Carty.

Tik Tok singer Kesha claimed in a 2014 lawsuit that music producer Dr Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, raped and emotionally manipulated her. Dr Luke denies the allegations and has hit back at a "trial by Twitter" backed by some of music's biggest names over Kesha's bid to extricate herself from a recording contract.

Anger and sympathy for Kesha swelled after a New York judge ruled last month the 28-year old singer could not be released from her six-album recording contract with Sony Music.