Justin Bieber Is Being Sued For “Sorry”

Update: Both Skrillex and Justin Bieber have responded to the lawsuit publicly. Skrillex's tweet showcases a 30-second video of how the vocal sample was processed for "Sorry." It's an interesting look into the producer's process.

Bieber's tweet was simpler. He embedded Skrillex's post within his own, hashtagging it "#wedontsteal" and ending it with a ":)".

It's certainly possible that Skrillex arrived at the sound separately after being inspired by White Hinterland. Whether or not that's relevant is up for debate.

The ethereal voice and musician behind White Hinterland, Casey Dienel is suing Justin Bieber over his 2015 song “Sorry.” The pop star allegedly used a sample from her 2014 song “Ring the Bell” without permission.

The lawsuit claims that the Bieber and Skrillex collab ripped off “the specific and unique characteristics of the female vocal riff.” The sample Dienel’s complaint refers to is easily identifiable in both tracks, like an otherworldly owl call. Dienel explained her reason for filing suit against Bieber and co. in a post on the artist’s official Facebook page. (Read the original post here.) “I poured my blood, sweat, and tears into writing and producing ‘Ring the Bell,’ and I am proud of the finished product, which Rolling Stone listed as one of its ‘favorite songs, albums, and videos,’” Dienel wrote. “Throughout my career, I have worked very hard to preserve my independence and creative control, thus it came as a shock to hear my work used and exploited without permission.” Dienel claims that her lawyers sent Bieber a letter when his song came out concerning the infringement, which was ignored. She also claims that Bieber’s team denied all further attempts to work out the issue privately. Listen to Bieber’s riff below for comparison.