The Kid LAROI Clarifies Writing Credits on Hit Song ‘Stay’ With Justin Bieber

The Kid LAROI says he penned every line on "Stay" except Justin Bieber's verse. He cleared up confusion about the 2021 smash during a Tuesday Twitch stream. He addressed what he sees as false claims spreading about who created the track.

"I wrote every single lyric on that song apart from Justin's verse," said The Kid LAROI, according to Billboard. "Justin wrote every lyric of his verse. There's been some, like, misinterpretation somewhere along the line that the song was pitched to us."

The then-17-year-old pushed back. Hard. Some claimed Charlie Puth crafted the whole thing and handed it over to them, ready-made. Puth co-produced it and discussed assembling the chords in a 2022 interview. Listeners misunderstood. They thought his words meant he built everything without the artists having any say.

"I definitely did get bummed when I started seeing people say I didn't write ['Stay'] because I was so proud of that," said The Kid LAROI. "That's an accomplishment and something to be proud of. … Like, 'Damn, people think this song was just given to me?' That's so crazy."

"Stay" climbed to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Global 200 in 2021. It grabbed five awards at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards, winning top streaming song and top collaboration, among them.

The track made history. It spent its first 40 weeks on the Hot 100 inside the top 10 — a first for the chart. The artist wanted fans to know everyone pitched in, but he owns the words.

The Kid LAROI drops his second album, Before I Forget ,on Jan. 6. His previous release, 2023's The First Time, peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200.

Lead single "A Cold Play" has fans buzzing about his past with Tate McRae. Meanwhile, Puth will sing the national anthem at Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8, 2026, and Bieber will headline Coachella for the first time in 2026.