In 2022, Walker created a song titled "Ritual" which had been played numerous times on his performances before release in November 2022, the same date as he released "Walkerverse. pt. II", an EP the song originally was part of. The song ended up being released as a single due to issues. Julie Bergan, a Norwegian singer-songwriter Walker collaborated with, before was allegedly part of the song's creation as she accompanied Walker as a singer for the song noticeably on performances. The song featuring her voice was frequently used in teasers for the second part of the Walkerverse album, but they were ultimately unused in the final song.

Upon release, many fans were critical of the new singer and deemed her vocals inferior to Bergan's. Bergan's manager Cecile Torp-Holte stated that there was no agreement between her and MER on using Bergan's vocals. According to Torp-Holte, six concerts were planned in the US where Bergan was to perform with Walker, including a performance of "Ritual" as part of a larger agreement. She also said that the song's original release date was October 28, and the negotiations on sharing rights collapsed shortly before.