Share
South African singer Tyla is facing a lawsuit from two collaborators, Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro, over her 2023 Grammy-winning hit “Water.”
The pair claim they were unfairly excluded from proper credit and compensation due to what they call a “nefarious” scheme by British producer Sammy SoSo, who also worked on the track.
Zucca and LoMastro filed the lawsuit on a Friday against Tyla, SoSo, and Sony Music Entertainment, which owns her label Epic Records. Interestingly, this is not the first time the pair have filed such a suit—they previously took legal action in March, but dropped the case just a day before re-filing it with a new lawyer.
According to the complaint, the dispute stems from a March 2023 recording session in Los Angeles, where the two worked alongside SoSo and another producer, Rayo. They claim their contributions—various audio recordings—were used in the final version of “Water,” which went on to peak at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remain on the chart for 29 weeks.
Though Zucca and LoMastro are officially credited as co-writers, they are not listed as producers. They allege that SoSo deliberately excluded them by secretly arranging a deal with Tyla that gave him sole production credit. He then offered them only 10% each in publishing royalties, keeping 15% for himself.
Now, they are suing to receive official producer credits on the track, increase their royalty rate to 12.5% retroactively and moving forward, and to be paid a producer fee as well.
Tailany César de Jesus. (2023, July 9). Tyla on Instagram: "Girl next door" | Pretty celebrities, hair styles, natural curls hairstyles. Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/tyla-on-instagram-girl-next-door--819021882257350819/