Olivia Dean's Label Sued Over Bill Withers' ‘Just the Two of Us’
The Hollywood Reporter • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Mattie Music Group has filed a lawsuit alleging that Olivia Dean’s 2025 song “I’ve Seen It” from her album The Art Of Loving unlawfully copied Bill Withers’ 1981 hit “Just The Two of Us.”
- The lawsuit claims the similarities between the two songs are “obvious and inescapable,” supported by a musicological analysis that found Dean’s track copied Withers’ distinctive melody.
- The publisher alleges attempts to contact Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing, and Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc. were ignored, and these companies continued to exploit Dean’s song.
- Olivia Dean and her co-writers are not named as defendants, but the complaint suggests they likely had the opportunity to hear Withers’ song before creating “I’ve Seen It.”
- Mattie Music Group is seeking damages to be determined at trial, highlighting the commercial and artistic significance of Withers’ original track, which was a Grammy-winning hit.
