Culture

Kristen Kennis: Vampire Weekend Cover Photo 'Not Authorized'

by Amy Judd | July 16, 2010 at 01:32 pm

1004 views | 2 Recommendations | 1 comment

Kristen Kennis is Suing the Band Vampire Weekend For the Use of Her Photo On Their Contra Album Cover

Kristen Kennis says that she never gave Vampire Weekend permission to use this photo of her on their Contra album cover and now she is suing for over $2 million.

The photo was taken of Kennis in 1983 and shows her wearing a yellow Polo shirt, but she says it was taken while she was a model in New York and under contract with 'prestigious agencies'. According to CBS, her complaint claims that someone forged her signature on the photographic release for the band from photographer Tod Brody.

Ezra Koening and Chris Baio from Vampire Weekend gave an interview to MTV in 2009 where they discussed the cover photo:

"We haven't met her, we don't know her," bassist Chris Baio told MTV.

"We're not being very specific about it. The picture is from 1983..." lead singer Ezra Koenig added. "When we saw this image, we just found it very striking. And part of it is the look on her face. It's not about the color of her hair, or the fact that she's wearing a Polo shirt. What makes it interesting is her face."

The band has not commented on this recent lawsuit.