Tyla sued! 'Water' co-writers file lawsuit over royalties

Updated July 30, 2025, 1:21 p.m. | By Music Reporter

Songwriters Jackson LoMastro and Olmo Zucca want extra credit for the producing work they did on Tyla's 2023 smash hit.

Tyla wearing a dress with a South African flag — South African singer Tyla/ X (@Tyllaaaaaaa)

The hit song that made South African singer Tyla a global star is back in the spotlight.

Two men who worked on her 2023 track are suing the 23-year-old, Sony Music Entertainment and producer Sammy Soso over a royalties dispute.

Jackson LoMastro and Olmo Zucca are credited as co-composers and co-authors of the song. However, they say they should also be credited as co-producers.

'Water' was one of the biggest songs of 2023 and went on to earn Tyla a Grammy Award. It peaked at No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and dominated the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart for months.

The song has over a billion streams on Spotify.

According to World Music Business, LoMastro and Zucca say they are top-line producers of the track and should be credited as such.

Zucca and LoMastro accuse Soso, whose real name is Samuel Awuku, of unlawfully taking sole producing credit.

"This lawsuit arises from Awuku’s improper and unlawful efforts to take sole credit for production of the Song and to deprive Plaintiffs of top-line producer credit and royalties to which they are entitled from the Song," the lawsuit states.

The pair also claim they tried to resolve the matter with Soso for months, but he "adamantly refused to negotiate".

"Defendants have wrongfully deprived each Plaintiff of a 12.5% share of the publishing royalties generated from the exploitation of the Song and of a pro rata share of the master/record royalties and standard SoundExchange royalties for the song," the lawsuit adds.

They are requesting a 12.5% share of publishing royalties and also want a procuring credit.

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While Tyla has not been accused of wrongdoing, she is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit.

The singer has not commented publicly on the lawsuit.

She recently released an EP titled 'WWP', which stands for We Wanna Party. The EP contains four songs, including 'Is It,' which is produced by Soso.

"Tyla’s penchant for innovation driven by her native genre, Amapiano, is on full display on 'Is It,' a sultry dance cut laced with vivacious temptation," Sony Music said.

'Bliss', which was released in May, also features on the EP.

Nigerian superstar Wizkid makes a guest appearance on 'Dynamite'. The fourth song on the EP is 'Mr. Media'.

Listen to Tyla's new EP here.