Justin Bieber and his producer Skrillex are being sued for copyright infringement over their hit song “Sorry.”
The plaintiff is the indie artist White Hinterland, who alleges that “Sorry” copies a distinctive vocal arpeggio — or, more simply, that “ooh” sound — from her song “Ring the Bell.”
Here’s White Hinterland’s song (the sound is at the very beginning):
And here’s “Sorry:”
Bieber and Skrillex deny the allegation. On Twitter, Skrillex defended himself by posting a 25-second breakdown of how he built the arpeggio in “Sorry.”
According to him, the sound is a digitally manipulated version of an original vocal recording by Julia Michaels, the song’s co-writer. The breakdown walks you through how the sound was made:
SORRY but we didnt steal this ???????? @justinbieber @bloodpop pic.twitter.com/9897j9sfY7
— SKRILLEX (@Skrillex) May 27, 2016
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