Lorde Calls Out Kanye West & Kid Cudi For Copying Her Stage Layout

UPDATE: Kanye’s set designer has weighed in on the controversy. Check out his response below!

Another day, another (developing) drama. Yesterday (November 12), Lorde took to social media to put Kanye West and Kid Cudi on blast. Uploading a series of photos to her story on Instagram, the 22-year-old accused the rap duo (collectively Kids See Ghosts) of replicating one of her stage layouts. They delivered a set at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw over the weekend and used a floating stage piece that resembled a glass box. Unfortunately for them, the “Homemade Dynamite” hitmaker felt it resembled the floating glass box she used during Coachella and dates on her Melodrama World Tour. She did not appreciate the similarities.

“I’m proud of the work I do and it’s flattering when other artists feel inspired by it, to the extent that they choose to try it on themselves,” she wrote. However, the New Zealander made it abundantly clear that Yeezy and Cudi took their appreciation too far. “But don’t steal – not from women or from anyone else – not in 2018 or ever.” In the aftermath of the drag, Kanye announced plans to delay his forthcoming album, Yandhi, but did not directly respond to Lorde’s claims. Although he chose to ignore the dig, set designer Es Devlin weighed in. Several years ago the artist celebrated her working relationship with the rapper in a post.

Today she went to bat for him. Interestingly enough, Es did not work with Kanye to develop his stage piece. In fact, she was responsible for developing Lorde’s. But she had no hard feelings over the perceived similarities. Why? Because Lorde’s floating glass box wasn’t an original idea either. Uploading a similar set she designed back in 2007, Es explained her perspective. “The idea of a floating glass box of course is not in any way new and the geometry precedes all of us,” she wrote. Instead of further inciting the bad blood, she took a more conciliatory tone. “I admire both and see no imitation at work here.”

It remains to be seen if this will bring an end to the developing feud. Check out the receipts below and see who you agree with.

Both stage designers for @Lorde’s 2017 Coachella performance and @KanyeWest’s ‘Kids See Ghosts’ performance shut down Lorde’s claim that Kanye West copied her. pic.twitter.com/ssfXnFo9Zr

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 13, 2018

Lorde calls out Kanye West for stealing her box stage idea: A few hours ago, controversy arose when Kanye West and Kid Cudi performed on a floating stage, a replica of Lorde’s – a female artist’s – North American Tour staple.
(via lordemusic’s instagram stories) pic.twitter.com/nqp3vPFGz8

— the lorde scene (@lordescene) November 12, 2018

View this post on Instagram

CARMEN by Georges Bizet , English National Opera 2007. . In Act 3 of Carmen, Jose decides to leave the rules and formal certainty of the army in search of liberation: The quest means un-mooring oneself from the known and risking anarchy, chaos, loss of identity. The idea of a floating glass box of course is not in any way new and the geometry precedes all of us. The form finds another layer of resonance in each new context. I did not design the recent Kids See Ghosts performance: I worked with Lorde on the design for her Coachella performance : I admire both and see no imitation at work here: I think the more interesting point is that both artists, responding to our dis-jointed times, are being drawn to this gesture of the fragile floating room: the world un-moored from gravity : where the rules of civilisation and identity as we have known them may soon no longer apply.

A post shared by Es Devlin (@esdevlin) on Nov 13, 2018 at 5:15am PST

Who do you think is in the right? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!