The Weeknd has settled the lawsuit filed against him by Suniel Fox and Henry Strange, who perform together as Epikker, over their 2018 hit Call Out My Name.
The two musicians alleged that The Weeknd’s ‘lead guitar and vocal hooks’ were similar to his song Vibeking, according to The Guardian.
In addition, the musicians had proof that The Weeknd – who will be seen on the HBO series The Idol – knew the song Vibeking when they sent it to the Canadian rapper’s frequent collaborator, Eric White.
White reportedly responded by saying that the Save Your Tears rapper thought the song was “fire,” before telling Fox and Strange that The Weeknd, 33, “he heard and liked ‘Vibeking’, and that he was going to tell the rapper that he and his team had come up with the beat.
“I just don’t want to say ‘hey Strange wrote this’ when he doesn’t know you,” part of the email read.
Settlement: The Weeknd, 33, has reached a settlement in the lawsuit brought against him by Suniel Fox and Henry Strange, who perform together as Epikker, over his 2018 hit Call Out My Name.
Fox and Strange claim that they were never asked for permission to use parts of their original song, nor were they given credit.
Call Out My Name is one of The Weeknd’s most successful songs, having peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.
Attorneys for Fox and Strange requested that the case be dismissed, citing the fact that they had settled with The Weeknd and were ‘still in the process of formalizing, executing and consummating’ the agreement.
Meanwhile, the Creepin’ singer The controversial upcoming series The Idol will have a high-profile premiere when it premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.
The first two or three episodes of the HBO series will be screened at the iconic French festival out of competition, according to sources indiewire.
The news comes following a report in Rolling Stone from earlier this month in which pundits described how the show had been completely rewritten and filmed with new scenes that they described as “sexual torture porn.”
The report received a dismissive response from The Weeknd, who posted a clip from the show in which his character shuts down the possibility of doing a feature with Rolling Stone.
The Idol is currently set to premiere on HBO sometime in the fall of 2023.
HBO Series: The Creepin singer’s controversial upcoming series, The Idol, will have a high-profile premiere when it debuts at the Cannes Film Festival.
Last month, The Weeknd made history as the first artist to earn 100 million monthly streams on Spotify, days after releasing a remix of his track Die for You featuring Ariana Grande.
The news was confirmed by the digital music service, which puts it well ahead of peers like Miley Cyrus, who has 82.5 million listeners, Taylor Swift with 80.3 million and rapper Drake, who has 68, 6 million, according to Billboard.
Their latest collaboration, which was an instant hit with fans, marks the fourth time he’s joined forces with Grande. This latest milestone also comes days after the launch of her televised concert, Live at SoFi Stadium, which documented one of her sold-out shows in Los Angeles.
Throughout his career, the performer has taken home four Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards and has been nominated for an Oscar and an Emmy.
The rapper is also set to make his acting debut alongside Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, 20, in a mysterious new project, according to a report from Deadline.
The film also stars The Banshees of Inisherin star Barry Keoghan, 30, to be directed by Trey Edward Shults, from a script co-written with the singer and Reza Fahim.
The Weeknd has been working on the film for months, and Ortega and Keoghan are said to have signed on after being “blown away” by the script.
The Weeknd and composer/producer OPN will provide the film’s soundtrack.
Milestone: Last month, The Weeknd made history as the first artist to get 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify
