Yesterday, Tyla shared the new songs "DYNAMITE" with Wizkid and "MR. MEDIA." The singer was also sued by two collaborators, who claim they've been cheated out of royalties for her 2023 hit “Water."
Songwriters Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro filed a lawsuit against Tyla, British producer Sammy SoSo, and Sony Music Entertainment. The pair first filed a lawsuit in March, then voluntarily dropped it on Thursday (July 24) before refiling yesterday with a new attorney.
Zucca and LoMastro allege that they worked with SoSo and fellow producer Rayo in March 2023 in Los Angeles, making multiple audio recordings that were used on the final version of “Water.” They're credited as co-writers on the track — which achieved #1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart and #7 on the Hot 100 — but not as producers. They say SoSo intentionally excluded them by contracting directly with Tyla “to take sole credit for production of the song.” He then allegedly lowballed Zucca and LoMastro with publishing royalties of only 10% each while he received 15%.
“Although plaintiffs tried for months to resolve the matter with [SoSo], [SoSo] refused to cooperate and, instead, engaged in a pattern of deception designed to conceal his nefarious actions,” the legal complaint reads.
Zucca and LoMastro are seeking producer credits on "Water," a royalty rate of 12.5% retroactively and in the future, and a producer fee. The two assert that “Water” has generated over $10 million in revenue and “based on industry history, it is more than reasonable to expect the song to generate upwards of $50 million over an extended period of time,” the lawsuit claims.
Hear Tyla's new songs below.
