Dua Lipa, the British pop diva, is in legal problems over Levitating, the song that led to her album Future Nostalgia(2021) and was perhaps the year’s top hit. A Florida-based reggae band called “Artikal Sound System” has launched a copyright infringement complaint against Dua, saying that his song is a knockoff of their far less-known 2017 hit Live Your Life. Among those identified as defendants are Warner Records, Dua’s music label. The organization is seeking revenues from the composition, as well as damages.
Do “Levitating” by Dua Lipa and “Live Your Life” by Artikal Sound System sound similar?
Both songs are quite different in terms of content, yet the rhythm may seem familiar to some. Both tracks may have a similar vibe, but time will tell. The band’s lawsuit was short, saying the vocalist heard the music before 2020 and duplicated a carbon copy. The lawsuit further claimed that the two tunes were so similar that Levitating could not have been composed separately.
“Levitating’s” Success Story
Dua Lipa was already a pop success before the album, with her 2017 song New Rules certified multi-platinum worldwide, but the album and hit Levitating propelled her to stardom. On March 27, 2020, Levitating was released as the album’s fifth official single. A remix of the song featuring DaBaby went on to become Dua’s highest-charting Top 10 hit. It was narrowly denied the number one slot because Silk Sonic’s Leave The Door Open reigned supreme.
With various disco cliches, the song includes electro-disco and nu-disco elements. Levitating, like the rest of the album, was lauded for its dance-pop, pop-funk, power pop, space rock vibes, and pop and R&B genres from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The track’s peppy, unabashedly pop approach charmed both reviewers and fans.
Dua Lipa’s ’80s comeback was a triumph, influencing bands like The Weeknd. The uncanny similarity between her hit and earlier, obscure music casts a shadow on her success.
