Charli XCX’s management team has clarified comments by Sky Ferreira insinuating that her old demos feature more prominently on Wuthering Heights than the album credits suggest, Billboard reports. The statement from Charli’s management acknowledges that a “small number of tracks from the album” include “fragments of material originating from earlier sessions,” but that all use was “agreed collectively in writing” and formally approved ahead of release. In the midst of all this, Ferreira revealed that she has finally signed a new label deal after exiting Capitol in 2024.
The statement from Charli’s management team, which you can read in full below, pours cold water on a narrative that has snowballed in recent weeks, after Ferreira responded to memes joking that Charli had dragged her into the studio to work on their one credited Wuthering Heights duet, “Eyes of the World.” “To record my old songs******,” Ferreira responded at the time, without further context. Ferreira has become more active on Instagram in recent days, commenting on speculation about her connection to other Wuthering Heights songs, as well as Stereogum’s story about the claims.
After tracking down the Instagram page of a fan who had been posting on X about her, Ferreira wrote a series of comments, one of which claimed, “I hate to break it to you, but your favorite artist records my old songs.” The fan had also screenshotted an SMS exchange with a person identified as an industry insider, who provided examples of fragments from Ferreira demos that allegedly appear on Wuthering Heights. Ferreira seemed to query the specifics without disputing the broader idea. “Your industry ‘insider’ is wrong,” Ferreira wrote. “Close but wrong.”
Ferreira wrote in another comment that her deal with Capitol had “made it impossible for [her] to do anything, including work outside of music, for over 10 years.” (Her only song since 2022, “Leash,” appeared on the Babygirl soundtrack in 2024.) The terms of her split from the label, she added, were not finalized until “mid/late 2024,” at which point she was on tour, hence the delay in releasing new music. “I signed to a new label in 2025,” she then revealed. “I started completely over songwriting wise. I don’t own my previous recordings so I’m re-recording a few songs.” She concluded, “my music & life exist offline.”
Here’s that response from Charli XCX management in full, via Billboard:
“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.”
Pitchfork has emailed representatives for Charli XCX and Sky Ferreira for further comment.
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