The Weeknd

Suniel Fox and Henry Strange sued The Weeknd, Nicolas Jaar and others, claiming that 'Call Out My Name' reproduced elements of their track 'Vibeking'.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Accused

The series 'The Idol', co-created by The Weeknd, underwent a major overhaul after director Amy Seimetz departed. Anonymous accounts of the production and creative changes fuelled accusations of exploitative or misogynistic content, while the final version attracted severe criticism.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Despite the enormous success of 'After Hours' and 'Blinding Lights', The Weeknd received no nominations at the 2021 Grammys. He publicly accused the Academy of 'corruption' and announced that he would stop submitting his music while secret committees continued to exist.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

After an H&M advertisement showed a Black child wearing a sweatshirt bearing the words 'coolest monkey in the jungle', The Weeknd announced that he was deeply offended and ended his collaboration with the brand.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Associate

Eymun Talasazan sued The Weeknd and Marvel-related parties, alleging that a character and comic-book concept he had presented had been appropriated for 'Starboy'.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Accused

Composer Tom Raybould sued The Weeknd and others, alleging that 'The Hills' used an excerpt from his score for the film 'The Machine' without authorisation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Accused