Another Hit, Another Writ — Tyla & Producer Sued Over ‘Water’

Tyla and producer Sammy Soso are being sued in California over the former’s hit single, “Water.” Sony Music is also listed as a co-defendant.

South African superstar Tyla and producer Sammy Soso are facing a lawsuit in California over her Grammy-winning hit, “Water.” The lawsuit was filed by Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro, who claim to be co-composers and co-authors of the song’s composition. Both are listed as co-writers on the track’s credits on Spotify.

The lawsuit primarily names Sammy Soso (Samuel Awuku) as a defendant, but Tyla and Sony Music are also named as co-defendants. Zucca and LoMastro assert they are owed royalties for the song, as “top-line producers of the song.” The suit alleges that the “defendants have acknowledged that [Zucca and LoMastro] are co-composers and co-authors of the composition of the song, but steadfastly refuse to recognize and compensate [them], and pay [them] all of the royalties to which [they] are entitled from the song.”

Further, the suit alleges that the defendants’ refusal to credit Zucca and LoMastro properly as top-line producers of the song “has resulted in harm” to their reputation and careers, costing them opportunities that would otherwise have been available to them.

Zucca and LoMastro claim they were both present for the song’s recording, and produced numerous audio files that are used in the song’s final master recording. “Zucca and LoMastro were not session musicians, and their contribution to the song was not done on a work-for-hire basis,” the lawsuit continues. “[They] never received or signed any paperwork indicating that they were session musicians for the song, and they never were paid on a work-for-hire basis for the song. Rather, Zucca and LoMastro were full producers.”

The two producers are asking the court to declare them each a top-line producer of the song, and that they are “entitled to a prospective and retroactive 12.5% share of the publishing royalties generated from the exploitation of the song.” They are also seeking pro rata master/record royalties relating to the song, and a producer fee.

“Water” has won numerous awards since its release in July 2023, including the inaugural Grammy for Best African Music Performance. The track has been streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify alone, with over 350 million views on YouTube across the official video and official audio.