Tyla is facing legal action over the hit song “Water” due to a disagreement over production credit

Two songwriters for Tyla’s 2023 hit song “Water” are suing, claiming they were underpaid royalties as a result of what they describe as a “fraudulent” scheme carried out by the song’s chief producer.

The South African artist Tyla Seethal, the British producer Sammy SoSo (born Samuel Awuku), and Sony Music Entertainment, the parent business of Tyla’s label, Epic Records, were sued on Friday, July 25, by Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro. A prior lawsuit filed in March 2024 was voluntarily dismissed the day before the new action was filed, making this one a refiled case.

The problem began during a recording session in Los Angeles in March 2023, where Zucca and LoMastro collaborated with SoSo and producer Rayo (Rayan El-Hussein Goufar) to create a number of tracks that eventually made up “Water.” Zucca and LoMastro say they were not included as producers, even though they are acknowledged as co-writers on the song. They claim that SoSo collaborated directly with Tyla to claim full credit for the song’s production, while only giving them a meager 10% royalties apiece. SoSo allegedly kept 15% for himself in the meantime.

The plaintiffs allege in their court document that SoSo purposefully misled them and engaged in a “pattern of deception” to cover up his activities. According to the lawsuit, SoSo deceived the songwriters into accepting unjust royalty terms; Zucca and LoMastro cite a May 2024 meeting with Ezekiel Lewis, president of Epic Records. Lewis said in the lawsuit that SoSo never told the label about any co-producers.

Zucca and LoMastro are now requesting that their names be added to the song’s credits as producers; they hope that this modification will be implemented both going ahead and in the past. Along with a producer fee for their contributions, they also want to raise their royalty portion to 12.5%.

According to their lawsuit, “Water” has brought in over $10 million since its premiere and is expected to continue making large profits. The plaintiffs contend that given the song’s continued popularity, it is reasonable to assume that overall earnings could eventually surpass $50 million.

Released in July 2023, the song won a Grammy for Best African Music Performance and topped the charts for 29 weeks, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.