The viral success of Tyla’s global hit “Water” is now making waves in court. Music producers Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro have filed a lawsuit in California against South African star Tyla, producer Sammy Soso (real name Samuel Awuku), and Sony Music, alleging they were unfairly cut out of royalties and credit for their work on the Grammy-winning track.
According to the legal documents, Zucca and LoMastro claim they were co-writers and co-producers during a pivotal recording session in Los Angeles in March 2023, working alongside Awuku and Rayan El-Hussein Goufar (known as Rayo). Under standard industry practices, the four collaborators were expected to split the 50% music publishing royalties, each receiving 12.5%.
But things allegedly took a different turn. The producers say Awuku rewrote the splits, giving himself 15%, trimming their shares to 10% each, assigning another 10% to Goufar, and giving 5% to veteran producer Christopher “Tricky” Stewart. They also claim Awuku took sole production credit and cut a separate deal with Tyla, sidelining them entirely.
Zucca and LoMastro emphasize that they were not simply session musicians working for hire — they contributed original material and creative direction, qualifying them as top-line producers. Attempts to resolve the matter privately in July 2023, before the song’s release, reportedly failed when Awuku refused to negotiate.
Now, with “Water” having streamed over 1 billion times on Spotify and clinching the first-ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance, the duo is seeking their fair share. The lawsuit demands official recognition, 12.5% publishing royalties, a share of master royalties, SoundExchange earnings, and a producer fee, also citing reputational damage and lost career opportunities.
This legal dispute casts a shadow over one of the most celebrated African pop hits in recent years — and raises pressing questions about credit, compensation, and fairness in the music industry.
