Tyla’s breakout single “Water” may have earned her a Grammy and over 1 billion Spotify streams, but now it’s at the center of a serious legal battle.
Two producers—Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro—are suing Tyla and her label, alleging they were unfairly excluded from royalties and production credit despite contributing significantly to the hit track.
According to court documents filed in California, the producers say they worked on Water during a March 2023 session in Los Angeles with collaborators Rayo, Awuku, and Christopher “Tricky” Stewart.
While industry standards usually split publishing royalties evenly among co-creators, Awuku allegedly skewed the shares, giving himself a larger cut (15%) and assigning only 10% to Zucca, LoMastro, and others.
The lawsuit also accuses Awuku of cutting private deals with Tyla and the label, leaving Zucca and LoMastro out of both credit and compensation—despite their direct creative involvement.
Their demands include:
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Official recognition as lead producers
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12.5% of publishing royalties each
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Master royalties and SoundExchange payments
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Damages for lost revenue and reputational harm
After failed attempts to resolve the issue privately in 2023, the plaintiffs are now turning to the courts to set the record—and the royalties—straight.
