When Justin Bieber released his Skrillex-produced track “Sorry” last year, many saw it as a public atonement for his multitude of adolescent sins. The song’s mature sound signaled a new direction for the polarizing artist; it and his album Purpose were widely lauded. That gleam dulled considerably last week though, when news broke that the artists were being sued by singer Casey Dienel (professionally known as White Hinterland) for lifting “unique characteristics of the female vocal riff” from her song “Ring the Bell.”
Dienel broke the story on her own Facebook page after allegedly attempting to get in touch with Bieber’s legal team in the months after “Sorry’s” release. Now Skrillex has also taken to social media to deliver a response. Yesterday the artist tweeted a clip detailing how the contentious sample was created, along with the text “SORRY but we didnt steal this.” Justin Bieber later reposted the clip with the hashtag #wedontsteal.
In her lawsuit, Dienel is asking to be financially compensated and for the pop idol to stop using the sample. While Bieber and Skrillex haven’t commented further, fellow collaborator Diplo told TMZ that while he wasn’t caught up on details, “I thought they sampled it, but I thought they cleared it.” Adding if it was used without clearance it “must have been an oversight.”
Diplo had a similar incident when producing Beyonce’s “All Night,” that included a horn section similar to one on OutKast’s SpottieOttieDopaliscious. Referring to that incident he said, “we had to give OutKast 25 percent of the record, which kinda sucks for me, but whatever, you gotta pay.” Finally musing, “I’m sure they’ll work out a deal with her. They don’t want to go to court with it.”
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Image via @justinbieber