Nicolás Jaar and The Weeknd face legal action

The Weeknd’s track “Call Out My Name” is the subject of a lawsuit. The track released in 2018 on The Weeknd’s My Dear Melancholy EP samples Nicolás Jaar’s 2016 song “Killing Time” which has resulted in both The Weeknd and Nicolás Jaar being slapped with a lawsuit.

The lawsuit filed by Suniel Fox and Henry Strange claims “Call Out My Name” is “strikingly and/or substantially similar, if not identical” to their 2015 track “Vibeking”.

The legal suit claims the track uses the same scale degrees as “Vibeking,” specifically in the melody hook. While also alleging that both works “are in a 6/8 meter that is less common in popular music.” Further to this, both tracks are played at almost identical tempos and use “features of electronica, ambience, pop, hip-hop, rock, and R&B to achieve a particularly atmospheric and melancholic sound.”

The attorney for Suniel Fox and Henry Strange said:

“The Weeknd is no stranger to accusations of infringement, and this one is probably the most egregious claim against him and his team to date. Epikker (Suniel and Henry) works with many artists in the industry, and was profoundly disappointed to discover the liberal copying of “Vibeking,” an original Epikker song that was shared with the Weeknd years ago in good faith, in “Call Out My Name.” We look forward to bringing these facts to light and securing reasonable compensation and credit for Epikker.”

The Weeknd is yet to comment on the lawsuit, yet Jaar responded to a tweet by Pitchfork saying:

“Just for clarification, that Weeknd song uses a sample (or “interpolation” actually) of “killing time” from my record “sirens” from 2016..wasn’t involved in the production, just got a call one day and accepted that they use it.”

The full legal filing can be viewed here.

Source: Pitchfork