Pop star Ellie Goulding has jetted off to the south of France for a beach vacation after having to cancel two shows due to exhaustion.

The Burn hitmaker had been due to perform at the Positivus Festival in Latvia and Finland's Ilosaarirock Festival last weekend (15-17Jul16), but she pulled out of the gigs last week (ends15Jul16), citing illness.

She did not elaborate on what ailed her at the time of her Twitter announcement, but she later revealed doctors had diagnosed her with exhaustion and ordered her to rest.

And it appears Ellie is doing just that after she was photographed enjoying a day at the beach in St. Tropez on Thursday (21Jul16). The British singer, who wore a colourful one-piece bathing suit, was pictured with a group of friends as she relaxed in the sun.

Ellie's beach outing came a day after she had shared pictures of herself underwater in a swimming pool in an undisclosed location, and posing on a sunny balcony, holding a tray of cocktails.

Last week, the 29-year-old opened up about her concert cancellations to Britain's Evening Standard newspaper, admitting she had pushed herself a little too hard this year (16).

"I've had to cancel some festivals this weekend because of exhaustion," she sighed. "I've done nearly 100 shows this year and my doctor has said if I do this weekend my voice might not bounce back from it. They did a bunch of tests on me and I have been diagnosed with exhaustion.

"I'm a hard worker. I don't cancel anything unless I really need to, but my doctor said, 'Ellie, your voice is going to burn out'."

Despite her current health struggle, Ellie was upbeat about the coming months, adding, "It's all good though - I'm feeling really positive about the rest of the year."

Her diagnosis came just two months after the star confessed she was looking forward to take a break from her hectic career.

"I'm still going to be writing, but it's been so overwhelming the past few years that it's time to go away for a little bit and be out of the limelight," she told Flare Magazine in May (16). "It's really a commitment, being on the road; you almost put everything on hold - seeing family, seeing friends. I've missed so many weddings and births. It will be nice to wake up and know I don't have anything to do."