Demi Lovato has distanced herself from an online rant she seemingly dished out against Taylor Swift at the weekend.

In a few Instagram messages, the singer appeared to suggest that Swift uses topics like "women empowerment" to boost her "brand" instead of tackling issues head-on.

The opinions came after Swift silently donated a quarter of a million dollars to Kesha, who failed in a bid to be removed from a contract with producer Dr. Luke after claiming he drugged and raped her.

Speaking in a new Instagram post featuring an image representing the lack of rape convictions, Lovato said her passion "gets the best of her".

She added that her thoughts overshadowed the real issue.

Lovato wrote: "As most people know, I tend to get fired up about the things I believe in, and although my heart and intentions are always in the right place, unfortunately sometimes my passion gets the best of me and causes me to say things that I probably shouldn't say.

"And when doing so it takes away from the real reason I am speaking up in the first place. Our focus should be on the topic of victims of sexual and physical abuse being afraid to come forward with their stories. They're more likely to face retaliation and harassment than to see justice being served. Especially women.

"It baffles me that when it comes to serious issues like equality and abuse, too often women are not taken as seriously as men. All I want to see is women coming together and actually making a difference. A real change and shift in society.

"Everyone has their own way of giving support to others , and at the end of the day, helping victims is all that matters. Ultimately, the message I want people to hear is it's okay to come forward with your abuse and if you do decide to take action, you are not alone."

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