Beyoncé Sued for Allegedly Violating “Break My Soul” Copyright

Singer Beyonce has been sued for violating copyright law with the song ‘Break My Soul’, included in her album ‘Renaissance’, which she published in 2022 and was the first she recorded in six years of recording silence, US media reported this Thursday. .

Four former New Orleans musicians, who formed the group Da Showstoppaz, claim that the song violates copyright because it copies fragments of ‘Explode’, a song by rapper Big Freedia who, in turn, would have used parts of the song without permission. single ‘Release A Wiggle’, which the plaintiffs released in 2002.

They claim in their complaint that Beyoncé ‘sampled’ for her song ‘Break my Soul’ the parts that Freedia used illegally, so both compositions would have been created illegally.

The use of the words, melody and actual musical arrangements of ‘Release A Wiggle’ were assigned without consent and deliberately by Big Freedia in the recording of ‘Explode’, according to the members of Da Showstoppaz The heart of the case is in the lyrics “Release a wiggle” which, according to the complaint, appear in ‘Explode’ by Big Freedia and, partially, in ‘Break My Soul’.

The lawsuit further alleges that Big Freedia did not compose or write the phrase, nor did he credit Da Showstoppaz as a source.

The members of Da Showstoppaz – Tessa Avie, Keva Bourgeois, Henri Braggs and Brian Clark – are asking for compensation for damages and royalties derived from the sales of ‘Break My Soul’ within ‘Renaissance’, as well as compensation for the use of the song on the album’s promotional tour and in the concert film ‘Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce’.

‘Break my Soul’ was the first single from ‘Renaissance’, and Beyoncé’s seventh studio album, which reached number one on Billboard’s Top 100 chart in its genre during 2022.

With information from EFE