Did Justin Bieber steal the main riff for his mega hit, "Sorry"?
White Hinterland, an indie musician, says yes.
Hinterland, whose real name is Casey Dienel, has filed a lawsuit against the Biebs, alleging that he stole her vocal loop, reports TMZ.
According to the songstress, the "unique characteristics of the female vocal riff" of her song "Ring the Bell" are identical to those featured in the Bieber pop hit.
Bieber"s producer Skrillex, plus the writers on the track, are also named in the suit.
While the riff is only eight seconds long, Hinterland says it can be heard in the track six times.
Additionally, she points out that other similarities exist between the two songs, including the use of keyboard synthesizers, samples, synth bass, drums, and percussion.
Hinterland claims that she asked Bieber to stop playing "Sorry" in December, but was ignored.
In fact, Bieber recently performed the hit during the Billboard Music Awards earlier this week.
Hinterland wants the star to cease playing the song and has requested an undisclosed sum of money.
The lawsuit is sure to put unwelcome stress on Bieber, who seems to be going through some kind of quarter-life crisis of late.
He has gone on several rants on social media, with the latest one taking aim at the vapidity of awards shows like Billboard.
"A lot of people in the audience there to be seem worried about how much camera time they will get or who they can network with," he wrote on Instagram.
"When I’m doing a regular show I feel they are there for the right reasons and to strictly have a good time! But these award shows seem so hollow," he continued.
Earlier this month, sources close to Bieber revealed that he thought he"d "lost his center" and wanted to reconnect with religion and nature.
Listen to the Hinterland track below. Do you think Justin ripped her off?
