Two songwriters behind Tyla’s 2023 hit ‘Water’ are taking legal action, alleging they’ve been shortchanged on royalties due to what they call a “fraudulent” scheme orchestrated by the track’s lead producer.
Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro filed a lawsuit on Friday, July 25, against Tyla Seethal (the South African artist), British producer Sammy SoSo (born Samuel Awuku), and Sony Music Entertainment, the parent company of Tyla’s label, Epic Records. This legal battle marks a refiled case, following a previous one filed in March 2024 that was voluntarily dropped the day before the new suit was submitted.
The issue stems from a March 2023 recording session in Los Angeles, where Zucca and LoMastro worked alongside SoSo and producer Rayo (Rayan El-Hussein Goufar) to produce several recordings that ultimately became part of ‘Water.’ While Zucca and LoMastro are listed as co-writers on the track, they claim they were left off as producers. They assert that SoSo worked directly with Tyla to take full credit for the production of the song, while offering them a low royalty share of just 10% each. Meanwhile, SoSo allegedly took 15% for himself.
In their legal filing, the plaintiffs accuse SoSo of intentionally misleading them and engaging in a “pattern of deception” designed to mask his actions. The lawsuit further reveals that SoSo tricked the songwriters into agreeing to unfair royalty terms, with Zucca and LoMastro pointing to a meeting in May 2024 with Epic Records president Ezekiel Lewis. According to the lawsuit, Lewis claimed that SoSo never disclosed any co-producers to the label.
Now, Zucca and LoMastro are demanding that their names be added to the credits as producers on the song, a change they want to be applied both retroactively and moving forward. Additionally, they’re seeking to increase their royalty share to 12.5%, along with a producer fee for their contributions.
In their suit, they claim that ‘Water’ has generated over $10 million in revenue since its release and is projected to continue earning substantial profits. With the song’s ongoing success, the plaintiffs argue it’s reasonable to expect that total earnings could exceed $50 million in the long term.
ALSO READ:
- Flossin Mauwano Denies Being Behind Inscription On Nairobi Expressway
- Marilyn Manson Gets Dropped By Label after coming clean On Domestic Abuse Allegations
- Tyla Teases ‘Water’ Remix With An Unidentified Star
- Tyla’s Viral Hit ‘Water’ Breaks Records, Hits 1 Billion Streams On Spotify
- Success Left Me Feeling Trapped- Says Tyla
The song, released in July 2023, dominated the charts for 29 weeks, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a Grammy for Best African Music Performance.
