"It's referencing Metropolis, a movie 50 years older than him": Fans defend Beyoncé as Hajime Sorayama targets singer in IG post

Singer-songwriter Beyoncé recently made headlines after a Japanese illustrator and designer Hajime Sorayama accused her of ripping off his artwork for her Renaissance Tour visuals. The artist took to Instagram on Monday, December 11, 2023, to share one of the pictures from the stage of the Renaissance Tour featuring the singer and a t-shirt with her picture.

The post also had three other pictures depicting Sorayama’s artworks bearing a stark resemblance to the singer’s Renaissance outfits and performance graphics. In the caption, he noted that if the 32-time Grammy Award winner had "officially" asked him, he would made "much better work" for her.

“Yo @beyonce [Rock on! emoji] You should have asked me “officially” so that I could make much better work for you as like my man @theweeknd [raised fist emoji],” his caption read.

However, netizens slammed Hajime Sorayama back for calling out Beyoncé. Some have even pointed out that her look which Sorayama claims was inspired by his artwork was referencing the 1927 futuristic movie Metropolis.

Fans took to X, formerly Twitter to call the Japanese illustrator out for his claims. While many said that too many people wanted to "take a piece of her (Beyoncé)," one person went on to say that it was from the film which was "50 years older than him (Sorayama)."

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“Make this make sense”: Internet defends Beyoncé after Hajime Sorayama’s allegations

As mentioned earlier, Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama accused Beyoncé of allegedly stealing his artwork via an Instagram post on Monday. He claimed the Break My Soul singer did not "officially" seek his permission before allegedly using his futuristic sketches as part of her Renaissance Tour ensembles and stage visuals.

Sorayama added that if the pop icon asked him, he would have made her better versions just like he did for Canadian singer The Weeknd. The illustrator went on to add a five-photo slideshow comparing his artwork to Beyoncé’s performance graphics and stage look.

The point of comparison came as the singer's robotic look was seemingly similar to some of Sorayama's sketches. Her outfit included a metallic body suit, silver lip rings, and a shimmering, chrome-colored alien-like headpiece with pointy cylinders over her ears.

In the wake of Hajime’s allegations, the Grammy winner's fans came to her defense. While some said her look and stage visuals were inspired by the 1927 German expressionist sci-fi silent film Metropolis, others accused Sorayama of stealing his ideas from the film.

Others enquired why the 76-year-old artist was suddenly speaking about it when Beyoncé first donned a similar look in 2007. Meanwhile, many pointed out that the Renaissance Tour wrapped up over two months, and Sorayama had some other intentions for bringing it up now.

So far, it remains unclear whether Sorayama plans to take legal action against the singer such as suing her for alleged copyright infringement.

Hajime Sorayama previously collaborated with The Weeknd to design the cover for his 10th-anniversary reissue of the 2011 mixtape Echoes of Silence.

The Japanese artist is best known for his work on Sony AIBO (robotic dogs) and his mid-20th century-inspired portrayals of feminine robots. He often regards his style as “superrealism.” He has also contributed to magazines like Penthouse and Playboy and influenced the graphics of the 2015 avant-garde film Ex-Machina.