Singer Dua Lipa is being sued again for ‘Levitating’.
The Grammy winner is facing another lawsuit after songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer filed papers to Manhattan federal court, claiming ‘Levitating’ “duplicated” the opening melody from 1979’s ‘Wiggle and a Giggle All Night’, which they wrote for Cory Daye, and 1980’s ‘Don Diablo’, performed by Miguel Bose.
The documents obtained by Billboard note that: “The signature melody is the most listened to and recognizable part of the infringing works and plays a crucial role in their popularity. Because video creators frequently truncate the already brief snippets of sound on TikTok, the signature melody often comprises fifty percent or more of these viral videos.”
The duo has accused Dua of having “deliberately emulated prior eras”.
Their lawyers added that: “In seeking nostalgic inspiration, defendants copied plaintiffs’ creation without attribution. Defendants have levitated away plaintiffs’ intellectual property. Plaintiffs bring suit so that defendants cannot wiggle out of their willful infringement.”
As well as Dua and Warner, DaBaby, the rapper who featured on a remix of ‘Levitating’, are named in the lawsuit.
Last week, the 26-year-old singer’s 2020 mega-hit was accused of ripping off Artikal Sound System’s 2017 reggae single ‘Live Your Life’.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, the band said they believe Dua and her team heard their song and came up with a carbon copy in ‘Levitating’.
Although they didn’t explain why they feel that is the case in the lawsuit, there are similarities in the sound of the two songs, particularly the choruses.
Artikal Sound System also named Dua’s label Warner Records and others as defendants and are seeking any profits made on the song, plus damages.
Dua previously admitted she never expected ‘Levitating’ – which featured on her chart-topping album ‘Future Nostalgia’ – to become such a big hit.
