Grammys' Best New Artist Caught in Plagiarism Battle
Newser • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Mattie Music Group has filed a federal lawsuit against Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing, and Kobalt Music, alleging Olivia Dean's song "I've Seen It" copies the melody of Bill Withers' 1981 hit "Just the Two of Us."
- A musicologist hired by Mattie Music Group identified "substantial similarities" between the two songs, suggesting the resemblance is not coincidental.
- The lawsuit claims the companies were warned about the copyright infringement in August but continued to distribute and profit from Dean's track.
- Olivia Dean, the 2023 Grammy Best New Artist, and the Withers estate have not publicly responded to the allegations.
- "Just the Two of Us," a collaboration between Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr., was a major hit, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a Grammy award.
