It’s no secret that lots of songs in the music universe sound similar to each other. In fact, oftentimes musicians will sample each other in their respective songs. However, problems relating to this arise when an artist uses another artist’s work without their permission.
In this round, singer-songwriter Casey Dienel who performs under the name of White Hinterland, is in the process of suing Justin Bieber and Skrillex for unjustly using her work.
The song in question is the ultra popular song “Sorry” from Bieber’s 2015 album, Purpose. Dienel states that the song features a vocal track that bears too much of a resemblance to her song “Ring the Bell” from ther 2014 album Baby.
Dienel commented on the matters at hand, saying that she was “shocked” at the situation and that she tried several times to contact Bieber and Skrillex privately to settle matters to no avail. As she states, “Justin Bieber is the world’s biggest artist, and I’m sure that he and his team will launch a full attack against me. But, in the end, I was left with no other option. I believe I have an obligation to stand up for my music and art.”
Though there is a resemblance, it is hard to say whether the vocal sound effect in question is an exact copy of Dienel’s song. There is definitely a difference between the two songs, so it is unknown whether Dienel will get the outcome she’s trying to achieve. Nonetheless, this is a good example of how tricky the business of song writing can be.