A social media exchange that started with a question about Sky Ferreira’s income has turned into one of the more loaded conversations in pop right now. On Saturday (April 4), Ferreira dropped into an X user’s Instagram comments after they reposted a clip of her 2012 music video “Everything Is Embarrassing” with the caption “i wonder what’s her form of income.” Ferreira tracked down the user’s Instagram page and responded directly: “Someone sent me your X account. I toured for years. I work. I hate to break it to you, but your favorite artist records my old songs. I hope that answers your question. Xoxoxo.”
The same user had previously posted a since-deleted screenshot of a text exchange with an alleged “industry insider” claiming that two songs on Charli xcx’s Wuthering Heights soundtrack album were lifted from Ferreira demos dating back to 2018 and 2015. Ferreira addressed those claims too, writing: “Your industry ‘insider’ is wrong. Close but wrong. I’m not going to get into it but it was definitely more than an intro. I have proof of everything with dates. It isn’t worth the trouble bc I know how the world works.”
This wasn’t the first signal something was off. Back in February, Ferreira had responded to a meme suggesting Charli dragged her into the studio for Wuthering Heights by writing: “To record my old songs******.” Saturday’s comments made that earlier response land very differently.
Ferreira is credited as a featured artist, co-writer, and vocal producer on the Wuthering Heights track “Eyes of the World,” her most notable collaboration in years. Her frequent collaborator Justin Raisen also worked on the soundtrack with Charli, a detail that hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans speculating about the origins of certain tracks. Ferreira spent over a decade battling with Capitol Records before being dropped via an automated message on the ten-year anniversary of her debut album, Night Time, My Time, leaving a significant amount of unreleased work in legal limbo.
In her final comment on the matter, Ferreira wrote: “I wasn’t going to say anything. It brought back a lot of things I have worked really hard to move past.”
Charli has not responded. Her team confirmed to Billboard that she is currently in Kyoto filming a movie and finishing her forthcoming studio album. In a statement provided to Billboard, her management addressed the situation directly:
“Charli has made seven albums, four mixtapes and one EP, and has written countless songs for other artists throughout her career. She began as a songwriter with ‘I Love It,’ and her work has been recorded by and pitched to multiple artists. She has her own personal history with publishing and production negotiations and because of this, she always shares credits fairly and appropriately, and values her collaborators tremendously.
“Ahead of the Wuthering Heights album release, a standard review process was conducted on a small number of tracks from the album, including fragments of material originating from earlier sessions. This process involved managers, legal representatives, artists and producers, and included a thorough review of archival materials and demo recordings. All relevant parties were consulted throughout, and the album was played in full in advance of release to everyone. Songwriting credits and splits were determined and agreed collectively in writing, with reference to documented timelines and contributions. All credits were finalized and formally approved by the appropriate parties prior to the album’s release.”
The statement stops short of addressing Ferreira’s claims directly. For now, Ferreira says she has the proof and the dates. Whether she decides it’s worth the trouble is a different question.
