Beyoncé has just found herself in a rare pickle after being accused of stealing designs from her blockbuster Renaissance Tour in a social media post from Monday (December 11).
The Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama took to his Instagram page to post a carousel of pictures featuring snaps of Beyoncé’s concert and merchandise, as well as his own original designs depicting robotic women in metallic body suits and helmets.
The resemblance between the 42-year-old hitmaker’s costume and Hajime’s designs was undeniably uncanny, as Beyoncé appeared to be wearing the same shimmering silver helmet with antenna-like spikes jutting out over her ear as his own art.
Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama took to his Instagram page to suggest Beyoncé stole his art and was profiting off it
Image credits: beyonce
Image credits: hajimesorayamaofficial
The 76-year-old artist, whose style has influenced other works such as the 2015 film Ex Machina, is notable for his erotic art of gynoid robots in 1983.
The Japanese illustrator’s pin-up work appeared monthly for years on the pages of Penthouse magazine, and Playboy TV later aired a television special on his art.
Hajime wrote in the caption of his post: “Yo Beyoncé. You should have asked me 'officially' so that I could make much better work for you as like my man The Weeknd.”
“Yo Beyoncé. You should have asked me 'officially,'" Hajime wrote on Instagram
Image credits: hajimesorayamaofficial
Image credits: hajimesorayamaofficial
The artist had previously collaborated with the Canadian singer to design a new cover for the 10th-anniversary reissue of his 2011 mixtape Echoes Of Silence.
The Weeknd’s new cover displayed the side profile of a silver android figure, seemingly female, with its neck arched back.
Moreover, one of the centerpieces for The Weeknd’s concerts during his After Hours Til Dawn tour was a towering figure representing the album cover’s alien designed by Hajime.
The resemblance between the 42-year-old hitmaker’s costume and Hajime’s designs was undeniably uncanny
Image credits: Beyonce
Image credits: hajimesorayamaofficial
“You can still be a Beyhive but still be critical,” a person penned under Hajime’s Instagram post. They added: “I immediately thought she collaborated with Sorayama for the android visuals. This is a bit of a letdown.”
Another user commented: “This is robbery and disrespectful towards your original design and idea. It doesn't matter if she wasn't involved the 'designer' that brought this to her and get it approved by her and her team needs to be held accountable. You deserve better than this considering how influential you are and the work you've done throughout the years.”
Hajime is notable for his erotic art of gynoid robots in 1983
Image credits: hajimesorayamaofficial
Image credits: hajimesorayamaofficial
Meanwhile, members of the Beyhive rushed to the comment section to defend their idol’s choice of costume, stating that Hajime had drawn inspiration from the futuristic 1927 Metropolis film.
Other fans of Beyoncé pointed to Thierry Mugler's 1995 Woman Of Steel design, famously photographed by Helmut Newton for Vogue Magazine.
A Beyhive wrote: “You’re a little late and should get some sleep. These have been out forever and given the amount of couture designers who made custom work for her, she has no reason to steal your work. Solve your personal issues.”
Another Beyoncé fan chimed in: “Metropolis, Mugler, Gaultier, and more have all done this. You don’t own the Android aesthetic.”
Beyhives said Hajime had drawn inspiration from the futuristic 1927 film Metropolis
Image credits: IMDB
Image credits: IMDB
In Hajime’s Instagram post, a picture that showed a closeup of a gray T-shirt with Beyoncé’s robotic face that was presumably sold at one of Beyoncé's shows was featured.
According to the Daily Mail, that particular design doesn't appear to be currently available on the music star's website, but other similar designs featuring the same costume are for sale for around $60.
As a result, it would imply that Beyoncé is appropriating the illustrator’s art and profiting from it. Nevertheless, the Single Ladies singer’s team has yet to confirm where she has actually drawn her inspiration from.
You can watch the trailer for Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé below:
Image credits: Beyonce
In other Beyoncé tour news, last month, it was the R&B star’s new hairdo that sparked outrage online, with critics blowing it out of proportion so immensely that Beyoncé’s mother had to come to her defense.
As the singer uploaded snaps where she posed with her bleach blonde hair, after attending the Los Angeles premiere of Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé on Tuesday (November 26), inappropriate talks about her complexion flooded comment sections online.
The backlash provoked Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles, to address the trolls, calling all the haters “bozos” for their “stupid, ignorant, self-hating racist statements about [Beyoncé] lightening her skin, and wearing platinum hair and wanting to be white.”
Hajime Sorayama's Instagram post divided people online:
