Leaked demos can sometimes be a big source of embarrassment for artists – we’re still not over Britney Spears’ auto-tuneless ‘Alien’ – whilst continuing to prove that the producers behind the magic maybe aren’t given enough credit for their efforts.

Dev Hynes isn’t a stranger to some demo fiascos. The renowned producer has worked with the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Kylie Minogue and Solange, the latter of whom he had a big falling out with after the pair fought over who was the credits to ‘Losing You’.

Now it’s Hyne’s demo for Sky Ferreira’s breakout single ‘Everything Is Embarrassing’ that has surfaced online this week – along with two other demos he wrote for Britney Spears, funnily enough – and it has caused a media stir for Ferreira that’s certainly been annoying for the singer, if not a bit embarrassing, too.

As you can hear in Hyne’s version below, almost everything about the song feels like the Ferreira-sung hit people are familiar with today. From the crisp 90s production to the lyrics – save for a couple of words – the only noticeable difference is in each artists’ unique vocal interpretations. Aside from that, it sounds like the finished product. 

Interestingly, Stereogum point out that there’s been signs of slight tension brewing over the track since it was released with Ferreira’s debut album in 2013, as seen in their respective interviews with The Fader.

In June last year, Ferreira was the first to say that it “mystifies and frustrates” her that Hynes is widely given most of the credit for the track when she co-wrote it. Not only that, but it “bothered” her that Hynes continues to perform it in his own live shows as Blood Orange.

Then when The Fader addressed those comments to Hynes in their Blood Orange feature months later, the writer says “[Hynes] tells me he was annoyed to learn, from a story in this magazine, that Ferreira was ‘bothered’ by him introducing ‘Everything Is Embarassing’ as a song he’d written for her” but that Hynes also says “that Sky made some structural changes in the vocals that made the song even better”.

Once again, one listen of the demo shows that Ferreira’s frustrations are perhaps a little overdrawn. While she has rightfully tweeted in response that the media often play the “every talented woman there’s always a stronger & more talented man behind her” card, in this case, it doesn’t quite stick.

You can clearly hear that Hynes’ demo sounds like a studio-ready cut with the final production already laid down, not to mention the vast majority of the lyrics, this is another win for the producer’s corner.

Credits confusion aside, it looks like the pair aren’t letting it get to them.

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