LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23 (UPI) — Demi Lovato is facing a copyright lawsuit from popular indie duo Sleigh Bells.
Sleigh Bells members Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller are suing the 24-year-old singer over her hit “Stars,” saying it is “virtually identical” to their song “Infinity Guitars.”
“A comparison of the two songs reveals that, at the very least, the combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as three quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps, is at least substantially similar in both works,” the suit says.
The singers are seeking “substantial profits” from Lovato in damages and “a permanent injunction prohibiting” the use of “Infinity Guitars,” according to the BBC. “Stars” producers Rami Yacoub and Carl Falk are also named in the lawsuit.
Krauss and Miller initially accused Lovato in November 2015 of sampling their songs “Infinity Guitars” and “Riot Rhythm” for “Stars.” Yacoub and Falk defended the singer and denied using the tracks at the time.
“We did not use any samples in Demi Lovato’s song ‘Stars,'” the pair said. “Demi was also not involved with the production. She only wrote top line.”
“Stars” appears on Lovato’s fifth studio album, “Confident,” released in October, while “Infinity Guitars” hails from the Sleigh Bells record “Treats,” which debuted in May 2010. Lovato is currently promoting “Confident” on her “Future Now” tour with Nick Jonas.
