Beyoncé sued for alleged copyright infringement in lawsuit over ‘Break My Soul’

New Orleans group, Da Showstoppaz, are suing Beyoncé over a sample that was used in her lead single, ‘Break My Soul’ from her platinum album Renaissance released in 2022.

The bounce group are accusing the singer of copyright infringement stemming from her use of a sample from ‘Explode’ by Big Freedia, who they claim illegally used lyrics from their 2002 song ‘Release a Wiggle.’

The lawsuit names Beyoncé, Big Freedia, Jay-Z, Sony Music, and others as defendants.

Members of Da Showstoppaz - Tessa Avie, Keva Bourgeois, Henri Braggs, and Brian Clark - argue that ‘Explode’ used “unique and distinctive lyrics and musical composition” originally created by their group.

“Defendants used Plaintiffs’ words, melody, and musical arrangement from their copyrighted works ... Any reasonable person listening to 'Release a Wiggle' and 'Explode' would conclude that the songs are substantially similar,” the suit claims.

The filing further alleges that while “Mrs. Carter, Big Freedia, Parkwood, Sony, and others have received many accolades and substantial profits from [the use of the sample] … Da Showstoppaz have received nothing — no acknowledgment, no credit, no remuneration of any kind.”

Da Showstoppaz are asking for the group to be added to the credits of both 'Explode' and 'Break My Soul', and to receive royalties from the songs’ future earnings, plus damages.

Beyoncé’s ‘Break My Soul’ topped the US chart, became her first Top 3 hit in the UK since 2011, and won a grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Recording in 2023.

The inclusion of ‘Explode’ in Beyoncés single brought Big Freedia’s song greater attention from audiences who haven’t been fans of the song since its release in 2014.

Big Freedia has been credited with helping popularise the bounce genre, as she was also sampled by Drake for his UK No 1 song ‘Nice for What’, and appeared in the video to his bounce-influenced track ‘In My Feelings’.