Songwriter sues Drake and UMG over 'Janice STFU' chorus

Aviel Calev Hirschfield claims the chorus of the No. 1 single was taken from a demo he finished in January 2026. A representative for the rapper denies the allegations.

EILISH Editorial Team19 Oct 2026, 23:18 · Updated 22 Oct 2026, 20:38 · 2 min read · 1 source

Drake and Future 2016 Summer Sixteen Tour — Photo: The Come Up Show / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Songwriter Aviel Calev Hirschfield has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles over the chorus of 'Janice STFU', alleging it was taken from a demo he completed in January 2026. According to Music Business Worldwide, the suit was filed on 16 October 2026 and names Drake, his OVO Sound label, UMG Recordings and Universal Music Publishing as defendants.

A representative for the rapper told TMZ the allegations are "categorically, unequivocally, and completely denied". Music Business Worldwide reports that it has contacted UMG for comment.

What the complaint alleges

Hirschfield is based in Portland, Oregon, and records as GoodbyeCalev. The complaint describes him as a Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist, producer and engineer, best known for producing and co-writing 'Heated' from Beyoncé's album Renaissance.

The filing says the idea for the chorus arose in 2025, when Lykke Li's 'I Follow Rivers' played during a drive to Seattle. He wrote new lyrics and a new melody, it says, over an instrumental by the production duo FnZ, Michael Mulé and Isaac De Boni, finishing the recording in his home studio on or around 25 January 2026. He then sent it to FnZ and other producers in the rapper's circle.

'Janice STFU' came out on 15 May 2026 as part of the album Iceman. The complaint says its chorus is "literally identical" to the demo in lyrics, melody and cadence. It also alleges that Hirschfield's manager supplied the original recording stems, with metadata intact, to the rapper's representatives, who still refused to acknowledge his authorship. These are allegations in a court filing and have not been tested.

The denial and the timeline

The representative also told TMZ: "There is not one iota of truth to these accusations." He described the lawsuit as a "manufactured and baseless attempt" to exploit the rapper's name.

Hirschfield does not claim to have sent the demo to the rapper directly. The complaint asserts, on information and belief, that access came through FnZ and the other producers.

Music Business Worldwide notes that an early version of the song, then called 'That's Just How I Feel', was previewed on a livestream on 4 September 2025, while the complaint says the chorus was composed between December 2025 and January 2026. The outlet adds that a Capital XTRA transcription of that preview does not appear to include the disputed chorus.

The track interpolates 'I Follow Rivers', a use Lykke Li discussed with Rolling Stone after release, according to the same report.

What he is seeking

The suit names no damages figure. It seeks actual damages and profits, or alternatively statutory damages of up to $150,000 per work for wilful infringement, plus legal fees. It does not ask the court to order a songwriting credit or to have the song removed from streaming services.

Music Business Worldwide points out that US copyright law generally rules out statutory damages and fees where infringement of an unpublished work began before registration. The demo's registration took effect on 21 July 2026, after the song's release.

The complaint says the track has passed 300 million Spotify streams. Music Business Worldwide reports that it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.