Halsey, Ed Sheeran, Benny Blanco, & Khalid Sued Over “Eastside”

Back in 2018, Benny Blanco released his debut solo single “Eastside,” which featured Khalid and Halsey. The song was a hit, breaking the top 10 on the Hot 100; Halsey performed it when she was on SNL. Now, however, the trio — along with co-writer Ed Sheeran, and all the labels involved — are being sued by songwriters who claim “Eastside” was a ripoff. (This is not Sheeran’s first run-in with such lawsuits.)

As TMZ reports, songwriters Konstantine Lois and Shane Williams are claiming that Blanco and the other artists lifted “Eastside” from “Loveless,” a 2015 song Lois and Williams had written for Williams’ band American XO. In court documents, the duo apparently breaks down alleged musical similarities between the two songs and points to a Vibe interview in which Blanco talked about how he listens to new artists every day looking for inspiration. Lois and Williams believe that one of those days, Blanco found “Loveless” and wound up writing “Eastside.”

You can listen to both songs below and decide for yourself how similar they are.