Justin Bieber, Skrillex Sued Over ‘Sorry’, But Teen Choice Awards Nominee Is Grateful

Justin Bieber and Skrillex’s “Sorry” collaboration is getting some unwanted attention from indie artist Casey Dienel, who is suing them for copyright infringement. As reported by The Verge, Dienel (aka White Hinterland) is suing Bieber, Skrillex, and Vivendi’s Universal Music Group for unspecified damages because of similarities to her track “Ring The Bell,” and she is not happy. He may not be happy about another lawsuit, but he has three 2016 Teen Choice Awards nominations to soothe him.

The eight-second vocal riff played in “Ring the Bell” sounds very similar to the vocal riff played six times throughout “Sorry” and the similarities don’t stop there. TMZ claims that she’s also upset because both songs have the exact same instruments featured: both songs feature keyboard synthesizers, samples, synth bass, drums, and percussion.

The instrument issue may be a hard sell, but the similar vocal loops are much easier to see, or hear, as the case may be. The 31-year-old Dienel says that she was shocked to hear her music sampled without permission and further shocked that Bieber and his lawyers have ignored requests to cease and desist, shunning repeated attempts to discuss the dispute. She said he could have easily licensed her work, but he or someone involved with the production chose to rip her off instead.

“Ring the Bell” was released in 2014 as part of her album Baby, which got decent reviews. She released her first album Wind Up Canary in 2006. In 2008, she started performing as White Hinterland, releasing the album Phylactery Factory. Her YouTube video for “Ring the Bell” has almost 100,000 views – minuscule compared to Justin Bieber’s “Sorry,” which has over a billion and a half views on the same platform, but still impressive by any reasonable standards. Rolling Stone named it one of its favorite songs, albums, and videos.

Justin recorded “Sorry” for Purpose, his fourth album, which spent three weeks at the No.1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 list following its October 23 release. The 22-year-old Canadian pop star is having an eventful life for someone so young, and with all of the Grammys, sponsorships, and girlfriends, yet another legal issue is going to keep him and the media hopping.

“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.”

It is possible that someone associated with the production of “Sorry” appropriated her vocal riff? At the moment, it seems that because Dienel isn’t some obscure artist, and her distinctive loop sounds virtually identical to Justin Bieber’s, it is entirely possible that her claim is completely valid, and she could be looking at some serious cash.

In her Facebook post, she mentions that she’s essentially David trying to fight Goliath, but she is trusting the justice system to prove that she has been betrayed by the ridiculously popular pop star. She is fighting for her rights as a creator of music and art. Dienel is suing for unspecified damages, and she wants the song pulled – a seemingly impossible, if not illogical request, as the song has billions of audio and video hits.

Thanks @TeenChoiceFOX https://t.co/bXYG9MPKKo pic.twitter.com/YfBqrKGFPk

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) May 25, 2016

So far his camp hasn’t had anything to say about the impending court battle, but this isn’t stopping him from promoting Purpose. He is also enjoying the three nominations he just received from the 2016 Teen Choice Awards. According to Billboard, Justin Bieber received nominations for Choice Male, Choice Hottie, and Choice Song for this year’s award show, while his ex, Selena Gomez, and former One Direction member Zayn Malik each received the same number of nominations.

What do you think? Did Justin Bieber and Skrillex rip Casey Dienel off?

[Kevin Winter/Staff]