Dua Lipa: singer sued again over song Levitating - what has been alleged, what happened in other lawsuits?

Dua Lipa is facing a fresh lawsuit against her worldwide hit song 'Levitating' after a music producer claimed that the use of his recording on remixes of the song infringed on his copyright.

Bosko Kante, who has worked with artists such as Ye and J Cole, claims that the use of an ElectroSpit Talk Box - a device he says he created - was only approved for use on the original song and by using the recording in remixes of the song, he is claiming that his copyright has been infringed upon.

Lipa, who is once again hitting the top of the charts with her Barbie hit 'Dance The Night', has already fought two lawsuits before this against her wildly-popular song. It comes after other high-profile copyright court cases against musicians, including Ed Sheeran who won a trial against Marvin Gaye's estate over his song 'Thinking Out Loud' in May 2023.

Here's everything you need to know about the new lawsuit filed against Dua Lipa.

What has Bosko Kante said in his 'Levitating' lawsuit?

The music producer Kante has claimed that he is entitled to more than $20million (£15.7m) after a recording he made for the song 'Levitating' was used on remixes of the song.

The lawsuit claims that song producer Stephen Kozmeniuk approached Kante in 2019 about having the use of his ElectroSpit Talk Box device for Lipa's vocals on the track. The instrument allows for a performer's vocal vibrations to be converted into the sounds of music instruments via a phone or smart device.

Kante claims that a spoken agreement was made between the two that licenced the use of the Talk Box recording only on the original recording and not on any remixes.

'Levitating' was a worldwide smash-hit, reaching the top five in the UK and becoming one of the longest-charting songs by a female artist on the US Billboard Chart. As a result, multiple remixes of the song were released to capitalise on the success of the song, including version featuring rapper DaBaby, a remix by DJ the Blessed Madonna and a special remix of the song that Lipa performed live.

However, Kante has said that the Talk Box recording has been featured in these remixes of the song, contrary to the alleged spoken agreement between himself and Kozmeniuk.

What other lawsuits has Dua Lipa faced over Levitating?

Kante's lawsuit is not the first time that Lipa and her team have faced action over 'Levitating'.

In March 2022, reggae band Artikal Sound System filed a lawsuit against the singer and her record label Warner Record after claiming that it copied the main hook in their 2017 song 'Live Your Life' and that the song's producers were aware of their song before 'Levitating' was recorded by Lipa. The Florida-based band were reportedly seeking any profits made from the song as well as damages.

However, the lawsuit was dropped in June 2023 after a judge ruled that there was no evidence to support the band's claims that Lipa or her producers had ever heard 'Live Your Life' before recording 'Levitating'.

Songwriters L Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer also accused Lipa and her team of ripping-off the melody from their 1979 song 'Wiggle and Giggle All Night'. Lipa's attorneys have moved to dismiss the lawsuit over claims that she was unaware of the song before recording 'Levitating'. The case is still ongoing.