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Nashville is enlisting a trio of famous singers for appearances ahead of its midseason return.
Pop star Kesha and country singers Kelsea Ballerini and Thomas Rhett are set to play themselves on the ABC musical drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The three are all slated for one-episode cameos, but they will not appear in the same hour. “Love Me Like You Mean It” songstress Ballerini and Rhett, known for songs like “Make Me Wanna,” will both perform recent hits. Ballerini recently received the Rising Star award at Billboard’s Women in Music event in December.
This is the latest small-screen gig for Kesha (real name Kesha Rose Sebert), who appeared on Jane the Virgin earlier this season not as herself, but as Jane’s nosy neighbor. She also had a role in the big-screen adaptation of Jem and the Holograms, which starred Nashville regular Aubrey Peeples (Layla).
Her role comes amid an emotional legal battle for the “Tik Tok” singer, who last month was denied a preliminary injunction that would have allowed her to record music outside her six-album contract with producer Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, better-known as Dr. Luke. Kesha filed suit against Dr. Luke in October 2014, alleging he raped her.
Since the injunction was denied, a groundswell of female artists have come out in support of Kesha, including Adele, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Kelly Clarkson and Lena Dunham, among many others. Earlier this week, Kesha thanked fans for their support during a human rights campaign speech.
Nashville has welcomed a long line of country stars over its four-season run, including Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Florida Georgia Line and Sara Evans, among others.
The series returns on Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ABC.
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