Tory Lanez Called Out by George Michael Estate Over Alleged ‘Unauthorized Sample’ of “Careless Whisper”

Tory Lanez Called Out by George Michael Estate Over Alleged ‘Unauthorized Sample’ of “Careless Whisper”

It looks like Tory Lanez may be in trouble with yet another music legend!

George Michael’s estate is calling out the Toronto native over his song “Enchanted Waterfall,” which they claim samples Michael’s 1985 classic “Careless Whisper”. Allegedly, Tory Lanez used the late singer’s sample without getting permission from his estate. Lanez’s track, which seemingly includes similar vocal melodies, appeared on his 2021 ’80s-inspired album Alone at Prom. Reportedly, George Michael’s team and “Wham!” bandmate Andrew Ridgeley are looking to have the song removed from streaming services over its “unauthorized sample.” 

George Michael’s estate and Andrew Ridgeley released a statement on the matter.

“It was brought to our attention that the song ‘Enchanted Waterfall’ by the artist Tory Lanez incorporated an unauthorized sample of ‘Careless Whisper’ written by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley….requested permission for this use had been declined in June 2021 so we took immediate action on behalf of the writers, in collaboration with our publishers Warner Chappell Music, to prevent further exploitation as we will not tolerate any unauthorized use of any songs within the catalogues of George Michael and/or Andrew Ridgeley.”

It appears that Tory Lanez decided to release “Enchanted Waterfall” with the sample despite the estate’s disapproval. Reportedly, the track was taken down from Spotify earlier this year; however, it currently remains on Apple Music and YouTube.

This isn’t the first time the “Say It” singer/rapper got in trouble for unauthorized sampling! In December 2021, Madonna made headlines when she went after Tory Lanez for what she felt was unauthorized usage of her 1985 hit “Into the Groove” in his song “Pluto’s Last Comet.” As previously reported, the iconic singer jumped into Tory Lanez‘s comment section and accused him of sampling her work. She wrote:

“Read your messages tor illegal usage of my song get into the groove [sic]!”

Lmaoooo Madonna’s comment ?? pic.twitter.com/8tiGY4Pq65

— Chris (@chrstnavelli) December 27, 2021

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[Source: 1, 2]