Sabrina Carpenter accused of 'copying' hit song by Diana Ross after fans spot eerie similarities
Paying homage is one thing, but Sabrina Carpenter fans are worried the artist may have borrowed a little too heavily from another iconic singer.The blonde beauty, 26, released her seventh studio album, titled Man's Best Friend, in August 2025 to mixed reviews.The pop singer's album was filled with catchy tunes and buzzy hits that were an instant hit with many.But some listeners were quick to notice that one of her disco-sounding hits had a strikingly similar sound to a classic tune released by Diana Ross back in 1980.Observant music lovers noted Carpenter's track titled Tears bore a striking resemblance to Ross' Upside Down - with fans taking to social media in their droves to share their thoughts. 'Sooo guys, please let me know what you think but also hear me out. I have been saying for a minute now that Sabrina Carpenter's Tears sounds IDENTICAL to a disco song from the 80s,' one user shared to Reddit.'I couldn't put my finger on it, and I love a good disco song. But tonight, I took a lil sippy of my marg and listened to my Lady Di (Ms. Ross) playlist, and heard Upside Down.'As soon as I heard it, I knew this was the song. I am so shocked no one has mentioned the parallels between the two and I wanna hear from the class, don't these two songs have the same beat and concept?' the Reddit user wrote. Paying homage is one thing, but Sabrina Carpenter fans are worried the artist may have borrowed a little too heavily from another iconic singer 'Oh wow that's WILD. Absolutely identical,' agreed someone else. 'Especially the post-chorus verse. I KNEW there was something I didn't like about Tears.'They continued: 'The music video was great but I felt like the song was a ripoff of another song. But I haven't been able to figure out what song that was.'Other users were quick to chime in - having also spotted some overlap.Someone else wrote: 'Guys, guys, guys, guys! Tears by Sabrina Carpenter literally sounds almost like Upside Down by Diana Ross and it just clocked to me.'There were some loyal fans, however, who insisted there was a less sinister explanation. 'I hear the similarity in vibe and structure, especially that disco groove and emotional contrast, but it still feels more like inspiration than a copy to me,' one fan pointed out. 'Pop (and disco especially) has a lot of shared DNA, so parallels are bound to happen.'The Daily Mail has contacted representatives of Sabrina Carpenter for comment. The singer has not publicly addressed the similarities. Some listeners were quick to notice that one of her disco-sounding hits had a strikingly similar sound to a classic tune released by Diana Ross back in 1980 Artists using similar riffs from other musicians is not uncommon, but has resulted in legal battles in the past.In 2023, Ed Sheeran won a copyright infringement lawsuit involving his Grammy-winning song Thinking Out Loud and the Marvin Gaye classic Let's Get It On.A Manhattan jury has found the musician did not engage in willful copyright infringement, after the family of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Let's Get It On, accused Sheeran and his co-writer Amy Wadge of copyright infringement in 2016, seeking $100 million in damages.Carpenter, whose big break came in the teen comedy Girl Meets World, quickly became synonymous with albums that consisted of upbeat pop songs but released a more daring album in 2022 with Emails I Can't Send.She later released Short n' Sweet, which contained massive hit singles Espresso and Please Please Please. Join the debateCan you hear it, or is the Tears vs. Upside Down comparison a stretch?
