Why Tyla is being sued over her breakout song 'Water'
Two California-based songwriters who contributed to Tyla’s breakout hit, Water, have filed a lawsuit against the singer and producer Sammy Soso (real name Samuel Awuku), citing unpaid royalties and lack of proper credit.
The legal action comes as Tyla released two new singles this week: Dynamite featuring Wizkid, and Mr. Media.
The plaintiffs, Olmo Zucca and Jackson Paul LoMastro, are also suing Sony Music Entertainment. In court documents filed on July 25, the duo claim that Awuku excluded them from top-line production credits and misrepresented himself as the sole producer of Water, a song that helped catapult Tyla onto the global stage.
“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,” the filing states.
Tyla first performed Water in Rwanda just two weeks after its release, during the inaugural Giants of Africa Festival in Kigali, a show supported by Spotify’s Radar program for emerging artists. The song would later go on to win the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance, becoming a global sensation with more than 1.1 billion streams on Spotify and 330 million views on YouTube
Zucca and LoMastro trace the dispute back to a March 2023 session in Los Angeles, where they worked alongside Awuku and producer Rayan El-Hussein Goufar, known as Rayo. Although they are credited as co-writers on the track, Zucca and LoMastro say they were left off the production credits and offered a royalty share of just 10 percent each. Awuku, according to the suit, claimed 15 percent for himself.
The complaint alleges that Awuku intentionally concealed their role in the song’s creation and misled them into accepting the lower royalty split. In a May 2024 meeting with Epic Records president Ezekiel Lewis, the plaintiffs say they learned that Awuku had never disclosed any co-producers to the label.
The lawsuit describes Zucca and LoMastro as “co-composers and co-authors,” as well as among the top-line producers of the song — a role typically focused on melody, harmony and lyrics.
They are now seeking to have their names officially added as producers, both retroactively and in future credits. They also want their royalty share increased to 12.5 percent and are requesting a standard producer fee for their contributions.
According to the suit, Water has generated more than $10 million in revenue since its release and could ultimately exceed $50 million as it continues to stream and sell globally. The song peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the charts for 29 weeks.
Zucca and LoMastro argue that the omission of credit has not only affected their earnings, but also damaged their reputations and hindered professional opportunities.
