Tag: Tyla

Two United States of America.-based songwriters, Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro have dragged 23-year-old South African pop sensation, Tyla, for  wrongfully excluding them from production credit and profits for the global hit song, “Water.”

The song was Tyla’s breakthrough single which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023 and earned a Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance.

However, reports by Billboard Pro indicated that songwriters Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro have entered a legal battle with the parent business of Tyla’s label Epic Records, Tyla (Tyla Seethal), British producer Sammy SoSo (Samuel Awuku), and Sony Music Entertainment.

The plaintiffs are of the belief that they were deliberately excluded from production credits and earnings despite co-producing the song in a March 2023 session in Los Angeles.

To settle the legal dispute, Zucca and LoMastro are now asking to be officially recognized as producers of the hit song “Water,” a producer fee (the standard payment given to top-line producers on commercial releases) and a royalty increase to 12.5% each, both retroactively and in the future.

The complaint indicates that “Water” has already earned more than $10 million and if its popularity continues, it could generate over $50 million in total, judging by trends in the music industry.

“Because defendants have refused to recognize plaintiffs’ status as topline producers of the song, and have failed to pay plaintiffs all of the royalties they are owed from the song, plaintiffs have each suffered injury in fact,” the lawsuit states.

This will not be the first time Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro bring up a lawsuit against the song “water” as they filed a similar complaint earlier this year, in March 2025.

But it was willingly turned down on July 24, but it was submitted again the next day under new legal counsel.

Zucca and LoMastro claim to have worked with both SoSo and fellow producer Rayo (Rayan El-Hussein Goufar) at the 2023 studio session. 

Officially, they are listed as co-writers on the last song, but the two claim that SoSo signed an exclusive contract with Tyla and claimed sole production credit, all the while tricking them into signing what they describe as an unjust and misleading royalty arrangement.

They claim that the contract limited their publication royalties to 10% each, compared to 15% for SoSo, and excluded them totally from producer recognition and remuneration.

“Although plaintiffs tried for months to resolve the matter with Awuku, Awuku refused to cooperate and, instead, engaged in a pattern of deception designed to conceal his nefarious actions,” per the lawsuit.

In a similar event, Gospel singer Celestine Donkor’s manager, Kofi Donkor, has urged music streaming platform Boomplay, to fulfill its royalty payments to his artist.

In the comments under his Facebook post, Mr. Donkor mentioned that Celestine has not received any royalties for more than a year, amid plans by the streaming service to shut down its office in Ghana.

“Boomplay, pay us our royalties before you shut down the Ghana office on Friday! They haven’t made a payment in over a year. Additionally, I’ve heard that they intend to close their Ghanaian office. We must withdraw our funds immediately,” he stated in an interview with MyJoyOnline.

But 3News’ check on Boomplay’s licensing agreement with artistes indicates that the streaming platform does not directly issue payment of royalties to artistes.

Rather, Boomplay has agreement with preferred distribution platforms and distributors for the songs that are submitted on the platform.

The distributors are responsible for music licensing, distribution, and paying the artist their royalties.

“Boomplay artists receive streaming royalties from distributors that are preferred by Boomplay,” the platform’s website said.

Per the streaming platform’s regulations, “artistes can choose a distributor that is preferred by Boomplay to distribute their music. Artistes can receive their royalties monthly and collect them from their bank, PayPal, or Payoneer.”

Meanwhile, Tyla’s hit songs “PUSH 2 START” and “JUMP’ from her deluxe album TYLA+ have been officially recognized by the RIAA for their success.

She is also set to take the stage at  the well known Global Citizen Festival in New York this September.

The South African singer, achieved a major milestone by winning the Best New Artist award at the 2024 BET Awards, marking a significant moment in her burgeoning career.

Known for her infectious pop melodies and vibrant energy, Tyla has quickly gained global popularity.

Her breakout single, “Water,” featuring captivating hooks and a dynamic performance style, became a massive hit, distinguishing her in the music industry with its fusion of pop, R&B, and Afrobeat elements.

During her acceptance speech, Tyla expressed heartfelt gratitude to her fans, family, and the BET community.

“Oh my gosh, this is crazy, and it’s also very heavy again,” she began. “First of all, I love Sexyy Red. I love her so much. This is such a gift to be here. I want to dedicate this one to Africa, to all the African superstars before me who didn’t get these opportunities. This is just amazing. Africa to the world, guys,” she passionately stated, as reported by BET.com.

Tyla’s recognition as Best New Artist underscores her exceptional talent and growing international appeal, promising a bright future in the music industry.

Her debut album, “Tyla,” released in March 2024, showcases her distinct blend of Afrobeat, R&B, and pop, resonating with listeners worldwide.

Earlier in the awards ceremony, she also received the “Best International Act” award, presented by actor Coleman Domingo.

In February of the same year, Tyla secured her first Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance with “Water,” released in 2023, triumphing over top contenders like Burna Boy, Davido, and others.

Over the years in Ghana, several Ghanaian artists have faced diverse challenges over copyright infringement by their colleagues at the local and international level.

Some of the musicians publicly admitted to the accusations, however, others proved ignorant about the technicalities surrounding copyright issues. 

In 2020, Ghanaian musician Mr Drew, became the centre of public discussion after American-Nigerian artiste Rotimi accused him of stealing his song “Love Riddim.”

Rotimi’s challenge was that Drew had created a cover of his single and titled it “Eat.”

They both acknowledge the problem after a back-and-forth between his management and Rotimi.

At the end, Mr Drew rendered an apology to Rotimi which settled their differences.

Gospel music group, Team Eternity’s “Defe Defe,” song also became embroiled in controversy last year.

Executive Music Producer Kwame Mickey took to Facebook Live, accusing Team Eternity of using unoriginal elements in their composition without copyright clearance.

He said the group had incorporated lyrics from Hallelujah voices’ song into theirs and titled it “Defe Defe.”

Kwame Mickey demanded that the group take the necessary measures by taking the song down or face a lawsuit. 

Later on, both parties reached an agreement and settled the issue. 

In 2019, Sarkordie and Mr Eazi were accused of copyright infringement by Nigerian veteran artiste Zaaki Azzay on social media after the two released their song titled “Do You.”

Zaaki Azzay claimed that the artists had stolen lines from his 1998 hit song with the title “Marry Am” with his permission.

He also threatened to take the two Ghanaian artistes on if they failed to address the issue.