Rihanna’s fashion brand, Fenty, is being sued after a song containing a reading of a Muslim text was played during the Savage X Fenty 2020 fashion show.
The song, titled Doom, is by French artist Coucou Chloe, however the suit has been filed anonymously under Jane Doe. Doe said in the suit they had received death threats over the incident.
Rihanna is said to have contacted the artist for permission to use the song in the show, and was told to use the version without the Islamic text, known as a Hadith.
However, the artist alleges the show’s producers played the wrong version of the song.
Doe claims in the suit that they have been forced to go into hiding since the incident, and have been suffering from depression and anxiety as a result of the barrage of threats. They are seeking $10 million in damages.
After the show first broadcast in 2020, Chloe said they were unaware the samples used contained religious chanting and issued an apology online.
Rihanna also put out a statement to apologise for the incident. “I’d like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our Savage X Fenty show,” she said.
“I would more importantly like to apologise to you for this honest yet careless mistake. We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters, and I’m incredibly disheartened by this!”
