Charli XCX’s management team stepped forward after Sky Ferreira publicly suggested that her unreleased demos from her old demos were used on the Wuthering Heights soundtrack album without proper credit. Specifically, in a statement issued to Billboard, the team pushed back firmly against any suggestion that the process was handled unfairly.
Team pushes back on credit controversy
The whole thing started messily and, very much in keeping with 2026 internet culture, played out almost entirely in Instagram comments.
It began back in February when Ferreira responded to a meme about Charli bringing her into the studio, commenting simply, “To record my old songs.”
Then, last weekend, an X user named Leon questioned Ferreira’s source of income, prompting her to track down his Instagram page and respond directly.
“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,” she wrote.
Leon then shared a now-deleted screenshot of an alleged exchange with an anonymous industry insider, who claimed that the intro to Chains of Love was lifted from a Ferreira demo called Ancient Idols dating back to 2018, intended for her long-delayed second album Masochism, and that Altars was based on a separate Ferreira demo from 2015.
Ferreira did not fully confirm the specifics, but she did not shut them down either. “Your industry insider is wrong. Close but wrong,” she wrote.
Then, in a follow-up, she added, “It was definitely more than an intro. I have proof of everything with dates. It isn’t worth the trouble because I know how the world works.“
In a separate comment, she went further, writing, “I wasn’t going to say anything. I’m over being dragged and humiliated for no reason. It brought back a lot of things I have worked really hard to move past.“
Charli’s management team responded with a detailed statement, explaining that a standard review process had been conducted ahead of the album’s release, covering a small number of tracks that included material from earlier sessions.
“This process involved managers, legal representatives, artists, and producers and included a thorough review of archival materials and demo recordings,” the statement read.
“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 also made a point of noting that Charli “always shares credits fairly and appropriately and values her collaborators tremendously,” citing her own history as a songwriter who has experienced the publishing side of the industry firsthand.
Ferreira is officially credited as a featured artist, co-writer, and vocal producer on Eyes of the World.
She and Charli go back to 2019 when they collaborated on Cross You Out, and the two were spotted together as recently as the Babygirl premiere in December 2024 alongside Caroline Polachek.
Charli has not personally commented on the situation. Ferreira has not backed down either, and with her own album Masochism still without a release date after over a decade of delays, the dispute shows no immediate signs of a quiet resolution.
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