Members of a reggae band sued Dua Lipa Tuesday, alleging in Los Angeles federal court that the Grammy Award-winning singer and her team ripped off one of the group’s songs as the basis for her international hit “Levitating.”
Florida band Artikal Sound System alleges that “Levitating” is a knockoff of their 2017 track “Live Your Life,” according to the lawsuit, which names Los Angeles-based Warner Records among defendants.
“Levitating” was released in various formats, including as a track on Lipa’s album “Future Nostalgia,” which won best pop vocal album at the Grammys last year. The British singer — who is scheduled to headline two nights at the Forum this month — performed the song at the awards show.
“Live Your Life” was commercially released on CD Baby in 2017 and appeared on a variety of streaming services including Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon and Sound Cloud, according to the plaintiffs.
The suit alleges that in 2020, Lipa and her co-defendants “listened to and copied `Live Your Life’ before and during the time” they were writing “Levitating,” which the reggae band members contend is “substantially similar” to their song.
“Given the degree of similarity, it is highly unlikely that `Levitating’ was created independently,” according to the complaint, which seeks damages and profits arising from the alleged infringement.
Representatives for Lipa could not be immediately reached for comment.
