Controversies don’t seem to end for singer-songwriter Lizzo. In a fresh turn of events, she has faced a copyright infringement complaint regarding an unreleased track.
Lawsuit Details
The lawsuit revolves around a snippet of the song that Lizzo featured in a TikTok video over the summer. In the video, she referenced Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle advertisement, singing, “B****, I got good jeans like I’m Sydney”.
Lizzo is accused of sampling elements from the ’70s soul track ‘Win or Lose (We Tried)’ by Sam Dees. The filing, submitted on October 21 by Georgia-based rights holder GRC Trust, lists Jimmy Ginn as the publishing rights owner. Although the song has not been commercially released, the complainant asserts that the 13-second preview on social media provided enough exposure to make Lizzo liable.
Attempts at Resolution
According to reports, the GRC Trust indicated that they had tried to reach an agreement with Lizzo, but “reached an impasse, necessitating the filing of this case”.
In response, Lizzo’s representatives expressed surprise at the lawsuit, clarifying that the song has never been commercially released or monetized, and no decisions have been made regarding a future commercial release.
Streaming Concerns
Meanwhile, Lizzo recently shared her anxieties about streaming algorithms, voicing concerns that her fans “don’t even know” she has released new music. Last month, the pop star dropped the mixtape My Face Hurts From Smiling, which features 13 tracks and collaborations with SZA and Doja Cat. However, Lizzo revealed her worries about the “shambles” of the music industry, as her new recordings seem to be missing her fanbase.
In a TikTok post, she mentioned, “The music industry is in complete shambles right now, and you can use that to your advantage. Back in the day, the music industry was very algorithmic, as any other industry was, but that industry was controlled to a certain extent. Now that we are in the digital streaming age, there is no control over the algorithm, and it is stressing people the f*** out. Myself included, every major artist besides Beyonce has dropped music this year, or is planning to drop music this year.”