Harry Styles has been accused of ripping off the guitar riff from a '70s Badfinger single for his new track Ever Since New York.

The One Direction star made his live solo debut on sketch show Saturday Night Live over the weekend (15-16Apr17), when he performed his debut single Sign of the Times and previously unheard album track Ever Since New York.

Following the premiere of the song, a number of users took to Twitter to point out similarities between the song's guitar riff and the riff from 1971 Badfinger track Baby Blue, with some even accusing Harry of copying it entirely.

One wrote, "I wonder if Harry Styles has ever heard Badfinger's Baby Blue, and if he will hear from their lawyer," another posted, "So did Harry Styles get permission from Badfinger to use the Baby Blue riff for that song?"

"This is the last thing Harry needed. His solo launch hasn't quite gone to plan and this is another distraction," an industry insider told The Sun newspaper. "He takes real pride in his new material and to be accused of nicking a riff will really hurt."

The British singer is expected to give a live solo performance for the second time on The Graham Norton Show, which airs on Friday (21Apr17). Executives of Sony Music, who own Harry's label Columbia, have launched a competition for two lucky fans to win tickets to see the performance, which is taped in London on Thursday (20Apr17).