Right Said Fred, a UK pop duet, said that Beyoncé was “arrogant” for using a sample of their racy song “I’m Too Sexy” in her new album without first obtaining permission.
The 41-year-old “Break My Soul” singer refuted the charge, describing it as “very insulting.” The crew behind Beyoncé told Pitchfork, “The allegations made by Right Said Fred saying that used ‘I’m Too Sexy’ in ‘Alien Superstar’ without permission are erroneous and highly insulting.”
Singer accused of ripping off their racy 1992 hit for her song “Alien Superstar,” according to The Sun. The band was formed in 1989 by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass.
The album Renaissance, from which the track came, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in August despite being leaked online two days before its scheduled July release.
Beyoncé’s camp claims they obtained clearance after asking, and that the songwriters were compensated for their work.
They not only gave their blessing for the CD to utilize the song, but they also publicly expressed their appreciation for being featured on it. There was no usage of a recording in their song, just the composition itself.
On May 11, 2022, permission was requested from their publisher, and on June 15, 2022, permission was granted. In August of 2022, payment was made for the time they used it.
A representative for Beyoncé stated, “The copyright percentage of the Right Said Fred writers with respect to the usage of ‘I’m Too Sexy’ represents a major element of the composition.”
Together, the writers of “Right Said Fred” have more ownership and co-authorship than any single author. The statement ended with the denial that the charge was false.
The Post Has Requested an Official Statement from Beyoncé’s Camp
That Is Exactly Right The fact that other artists had supposedly sought permission before sampling the tune made Fred uncomfortable. The famous siblings stated that no one else in the music industry came to them first, including Drake and Taylor Swift.
Drake used a sample from the song in his 2021 smash “Way 2 Sexy,” and Swift used it in the lead single from her 2017 album “Reputation,” “Look What You Made Me Do.” There have been previous allegations that Beyoncé stole music for “Renaissance.”
Singer Kelis claimed that Beyoncé had utilized a sample from her song “Get Along With You” from the year 2000 without permission before the album’s July release. The “Milkshake” singer says she heard about the sample in “Energy” by Beyoncé at the same time the rest of the world did.
As of now, the sample is no longer included in the song as Knowles took it out.