Two California-based music producers, Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro, are taking legal action against Grammy-winning singer Tyla and music producer Sammy SoSo, whose real name is Samuel Awuku. The duo claims they were left out of credit and royalties for their work on Tyla’s global hit song Water.
According to News24, the lawsuit was filed on 25 July and also names Sony Music Entertainment. The legal documents state:
“This lawsuit arises from Awuku’s improper and unlawful efforts to take sole credit for production of Water and to deprive Zucca and LoMastro, of top-line producer credit and royalties to which they are entitled.”
Zucca and LoMastro say their reputations and music careers have been hurt because they didn’t receive the credit they believe they deserve. They argue this has also cost them valuable opportunities in the music industry.
The song Water was released in 2023 and quickly became a global sensation. It has gained over 1.1 billion streams on Spotify and more than 330 million views on YouTube. It also earned Tyla the very first Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance.
The same two producers had filed a similar lawsuit back in March but dropped it on 24 July. They refiled the case the next day in California with a new attorney, as reported by Billboard.
In the current lawsuit, Zucca and LoMastro are described as “co-composers and co-authors” of Water, and they are listed among the “top-line producers,” responsible for the melody, harmonies, and lyrics. They claim that during the March 2023 recording session, four producers contributed to the track: Zucca, LoMastro, Awuku, and another producer, Rayan El-Hussein Goufar, known as Rayo.
The pair say they handed over several audio files that were used in the final version of the song and believe all four producers should be given full credit and equal royalty shares.
“Because all four producers contributed equally to the production of the song, each should be receiving full top-line producer credit and an equal percentage of royalties,” the lawsuit reads.
However, the filing claims that Awuku took full credit, signed an agreement with Tyla without informing the others, and didn’t share royalties or include them in the deal.
“In violation of plaintiffs’ rights, Awuku has taken sole credit for the entire production of the song, negotiated and entered into a producer agreement directly with [Tyla] Seethal, failed to tell plaintiffs (or Goufar) about it, and failed to cut plaintiffs in on equal terms.”
The plaintiffs also say they tried for months to settle things privately with Awuku, but he “adamantly refused to negotiate.”
Now, Zucca and LoMastro are asking the court to officially recognise them as top-line producers and award them both future and past royalties — including a 12.5% share of the publishing royalties.
