The Weeknd & Daft Punk – ‘Starboy’
Two years ago when The Weeknd and Daft Punk released their collaboration ‘Starboy‘, we didn’t know what to expect of it. We were just glad Daft Punk came back with something new. But like all new music, inspiration comes from somewhere. Little did we know that sometimes those musings could come back to haunt you. Now in 2018, both artists are being sued for at least $5 million for their hit.
Sources from TMZ claim that blog posts have been writing about the distinct similarities between the two. Let’s take a closer listen to the sound of their huge single. The hook, key, tempo, and prominent claps seem identical. Both have great rhythm. Who is the artist taking legal action? Self-described poet, singer and songwriter Yasminah is suing for them claiming her song ‘Hooyo’ as the blueprint.
She co-wrote and released her track in 2009 while the star track released in November 2016. Two of her producers had threatened lawsuits over the song before but they never went to court to settle. Makes sense since both songs are out. The problem is, she never got a cut of those settlements. Would you agree with her claim?
We often see reworks of old music into our latest hits today. Kanye West did it with his version of ‘Harder Better Faster Stronger’. Mark Knight made a deeper cut from Kylie Minogue’s ‘Cant Get You Out of My Head’ with ‘Your Love’. What some call theft, others might call it inspiration or influence. Music is very hard in copyright law but we as listeners see it as “hearing” other artists’ influence through their music. So, do these artists get credit for their music being sampled? Well in this case, it doesn’t look like it did.
Permission is everything folks! It’s easy to make music, it’s hard to claim it as your own.