Musician Seb McKinnon called out figure skater Amber Glenn after watching her skate to his song “The Return” at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“So just found out an Olympic figure skater used one of my songs without permission for their routine. It aired all over the world … what? Is that usual practice for the olympics?” McKinnon, who creates music under the name CLANN, wrote via X on Sunday, Feb. 8.
McKinnon shared a follow-up tweet after learning more about the Olympics’ music licensing process.
“This is news to me. The deal I have with my label is that I alone can give the ok to license my music. I thought since this was on TV, that it fell under some kind of synching [sic]. But it seems to be the same thing as radio? Glad to understand it more,” McKinnon wrote. “And plus she won Gold??? huge contratz.”
Glenn addressed the controversy in a statement, noting that she had spoken to McKinnon.
“Sometimes new friendships start in unexpected ways. I discovered Seb McKinnon’s music (CLANN) two years ago and felt a deep connection to it,” Glenn began. “The issue of music rights can be complex and confusing. Seems like there was a hiccup in the whole process. I’m glad we cleared things up with Seb and I look forward to collaborating with him.”
Glenn added that it’s her “sincere hope that I was able to create new fans of both figure skating and Seb.”
McKinnon retweeted Glenn’s statement, writing, “Things were resolved! I love it when music inspires people. We can all agree that creators deserve clear consent, proper credit, and fair compensation when their work is used. It doesn’t matter if you’re the most famous artist [in] the world or a complete unknown. It’s for all.”
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Glenn skated to McKinnon’s song during her free skate on Sunday, finishing third in the team event. She told NBC that she felt “disappointed” in her performance.
“It wasn’t how I wanted to feel,” Glenn said. “I was really proud of the mental strength I had, that it would not have been the program I would have put out after a mistake a few years ago. So, I’m very proud of the fight. At the practices here I’ve been on fire honestly, doing clean programs. So, I just felt really not my best today, so I was just disappointed in that.”
At age 26, Glenn is the oldest U.S. women’s singles skater to compete in the Olympics in 98 years. Despite her feelings about her free skate, Glenn won a gold medal as part of Team USA when Ilia Malinin’s men’s free skate scored high enough to surpass Team Japan.
date: 2026-02-10 19:04:00