Ezra Miller accused of music theft by producer and rapper: ‘It was an extremely unethical and hurtful act’
‘Fantastic Beasts’ star has recently been at the centre of multiple legal controversies
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Two musicians have accused Ezra Miller of stealing music they worked on and releasing it without giving them credit.
The Fantastic Beasts actor has been at the centre of a number of recent controversies. In April, Miller, who uses they/them pronouns, was arrested in Hawaii and charged with second-degree assault after allegedly throwing a chair at a woman. In late March, they were arrested in a karaoke bar in Hilo for disorderly conduct and harassment.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, music producer Oliver Ignatius spoke about his collaborations with Miller, alleging that Miller had published music online without credit or consent.
Speaking of his decision to work with longtime friend Miller, Ignatius said: “They were going through a scorched earth-type fallout with their Hollywood career. They were severing many of the relationships in their life and seemed to be on a very dangerous spiral.”
The pair met up in the mainland US and Hawaii to work on the project, with Ignatius describing the work as “like pulling teeth”.
“We all had high hopes that it was going to be a project that was beautiful, that was going to be meaningful for us,” he added. “But it didn’t really pan out that way.”
According to the artist, he then worked on the music independently, making production tweaks and adding a verse from Philadelphia rapper Ghais Guevara on one of the tracks.
Afte regrouping with Miller after the actor’s arrests, Ignatius said they fell out over a song he had written regarding a female friend who was murdered by her husband. He claims that Miller threw an “aggressive temper tantrum” over the track’s meaning.
“They were completely triggered by the song which totally freaked me out because basic feminism is a really hard line,” he said. “If we don’t agree that violence by a man against a woman isn’t something worth speaking on, then we don’t agree on much.
“Ezra’s behavior throughout this exchange was atrocious, belligerent, threatening, and incredibly aggressive.”
After Ignatius quit the project, Miller then posted the unfiinished music online, including songs they had not worked on at all.
“What Ezra did was commit an… extremely unethical and hurtful act,” said Ignatius. “They stole from artists that have fewer resources than them but maybe have art that Ezra wants… The person I thought I knew was a much gentler soul than the person that we’re seeing right now. It’s been a very concerning journey.”
Guevara also shared allegations about Miller, writing on Twitter: “I’m posting this just to say if you are an Ezra stan, just know that the music they’re involved in isn’t a result of their own work. Especially the song that has MY verse in it.”
Ignatius told Rolling Stone that he intends to sue Miller in order to take down the unfinished music, as he owns the track’s masters.
The Independent has contacted a representative of Miller’s for comment.