Dua Lipa Song Was Not A Rip-Off, Federal Judge In Riverside Rules

RIVERSIDE, CA — A federal judge in Riverside has granted dismissal of a lawsuit brought by members of a reggae band who claimed that Grammy Award-winning singer Dua Lipa ripped off one of their songs as the basis for her international hit "Levitating," according to court papers obtained Friday.

U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes ruled this week that Artikal Sound System failed to show that the writers of "Levitating" had access to the group's song "Live Your Life." The Florida band alleged in the 2022 lawsuit that "Levitating" is a knockoff of their 2017 track.

"Levitating" was released in various formats, including as a track on Lipa's album "Future Nostalgia," which won best pop vocal album at the Grammys in 2021. The British singer performed the song at the awards ceremony.

Sykes gave Artikal Sound System an opportunity to file a new complaint.

"Live Your Life" was commercially released on CD Baby in 2017 and appeared on a variety of streaming services including Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon and Sound Cloud, according to the plaintiffs.

The suit alleged that in 2020, Lipa and her co-defendants "listened to and copied `Live Your Life' before and during the time" they were writing "Levitating," which the reggae musicians contend is "substantially similar" to their song.

"Given the degree of similarity, it is highly unlikely that `Levitating' was created independently," according to the complaint, which sought damages and profits arising from the alleged infringement.

Representatives for the group could not be immediately reached for comment.