Beyoncé Faces Lawsuit Over “Break My Soul” Sample
Beyoncé is facing legal action, with the plaintiff accusing her of copyright infringement.
The New Orleans bounce music group Da Showstoppaz claims “Break My Soul” infringed the copyright of their 2002 track “Release a Wiggle.”
According to The Guardian, the Dangerously In Love singer samples “Explode” by Big Freedia, which allegedly samples Da Showstoppaz. The lawsuit names Beyoncé and Big Freedia, as well as Jay-Z and Sony Music, as defendants. Additionally, Da Showstoppaz members Tessa Avie, Keva Bourgeois, Henri Braggs, and Brian Clark are requesting to be formally added to the credits of both tracks, setting them up to receive royalties in the future.
“Defendants used plaintiffs’ words, melody, and musical arrangement from their copyrighted works … Any reasonable person listening to ‘Release a Wiggle’ and ‘Explode’ would conclude that the songs are substantially similar,” explains the lawsuit.
“Break My Soul,” released in June 2022, was the first track shared from the 42-year-old’s RENAISSANCE album. In August 2022, the Grammy-winning performer dropped a mini EP featuring four remixes of the track, featuring Honey Dijon, DJ Nita Aviance, Terry Hunter, and Black Eyed Peas. The song peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart and earned platinum status in December that same year.
The dance-ready track was awarded Best Dance/Electronic Recording at the 65th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2023, and nominated for Record Of The Year, and Song Of The Year. Additionally, the album won Best Dance/Electronic Music Album, the first album by a Black woman to take the category.
“I want to thank God for protecting me,” Bey said during her acceptance speech. “Thank you, God. I’d like to thank my Uncle Johnny who’s not here, but he’s here in spirit.” Bey later thanked her family and especially the queer community “for your love and inventing this genre.”
Listen to all three songs mentioned in the lawsuit against Beyoncé below.
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