Usher has responded to The Weeknd’s claims that he stole his House Of Balloons style for his own “Climax” single.
The Weeknd told Variety, “I heard ‘Climax,’ that Usher song, and was like, ‘Holy f*ck, that’s a Weeknd song.’ It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.”
To respond to the claims, Usher then hopped onto his Instagram story and posted several videos of himself listening to different #ClimaxChallenge attempts — singing it himself.
The Weeknd also took to his social media to clear up his comments.
“Of course media blows things out of proportion and takes things out of context,” Weeknd tweeted. “Usher is a King and always an inspiration so it was flattering to hear what him and Diplo did on climax. XO.”
Diplo appeared to admit that the song may have been influenced by The Weeknd.
“When I heard those early records they blew my mind—soulful in their silences, and a spacey iconic voice that felt uniquely internet. the idea of R&B having dark edges was what I wanted to bring to @usher one of my favorite voices of all time.”