‘XO’ is one of the highlights from Beyoncé‘s self-titled album, and per reports that emerged over the weekend, the track has landed the singer in the middle of a copyright lawsuit.
Former backing singer and person with a lot of balls Ahmad Lane claims that, while he was working for Bey, he gave another backing singer a copy of his track ‘XOXO’, which she allegedly passed on to the singer.
He says that she stole elements of the track for her own – specifically, “the first four bars of an eight-bar melody” and a particular “four-note sequence” – however, court documents recently obtained by Radar show that the singer is fighting back.
Hilariously enough, Beyoncé has decided to invoke the ‘you must not know ’bout me’ defence, saying that her “17 Grammy awards and 118 million records sold” mean she has no need or reason to steal anything.
Her lawyers have said that the songs do not share any “melodic content”, and that there is “no meaningful similarity in pitch series, rhythm or rhythmic patterns, melodic development or structure.”
They have also said that “the two songs are distinct from a thematic perspective” – hers is a “celebration of love and life, emphasising the importance of living in the present” while his is about “being horny.”
Ultimately, Bey’s team claim that, even if Lane had filed a copyright registration for his song, which he apparently did not, the two works share no similarity “other than perhaps the letters ‘X’ and ‘O’”.
They have asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed.
Just cuz, here’s ‘XO’ again:
Photo: Jamie McCarthy via Getty Images
