Did Demi Lovato Sample Sleigh Bells In "Stars"?

According to reports that surfaced Monday, pop star Demi Lovato has been accused of sampling Sleigh Bells' music without permission. The Brooklyn-based indie duo tweeted Lovato that they were "flattered" she allegedly sampled their songs "Infinity Guitars" and "Riot Rhythm" in her Confident bonus track "Stars"; however, they claimed they were "not contacted" for their approval. It would seem that the band decided to confront Lovato on a public forum like Twitter in order to ensure that their voices were heard — and the strategy worked. As Billboard reports, two of the "Stars" composers released a statement regarding Sleigh Bells' allegations on Tuesday.

"We did not use any samples in Demi Lovato's song 'Stars,'" producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub said. "Demi was also not involved with the production. She only wrote top line." Still, a rep for Sleigh Bells told Rolling Stone that "the band feels their music has been sampled without proper clearance and are seeking all available remedies with [Lovato's record label] Island Records." So, did Lovato's producers actually sample "Infinity Guitars" and "Riot Rhythm" without permission?

Similar accusations of copyright infringement have been made several times in the music world of late, most notably against Robin Thicke and his 2013 smash "Blurred Lines." In March, Thicke and producer Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay $7.3 million to Marvin Gaye's family after a jury found they had copied Gaye's 1977 song "Got to Give It Up" with "Blurred Lines." More recently, on Monday, Taylor Swift was sued for allegedly stealing lyrics from R&B singer Jesse Braham for her 2014 hit "Shake It Off." Bustle has reached out to Swift's record label, Big Machine Records, but has not yet received a response.

As for Lovato's situation, the outcome remains to be seen. For now, check out "Stars," "Infinity Guitars," and "Riot Rhythm" for yourself below.