Lizzo's song "Truth Hurts" has spent weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and tied a record for the longest-running No. 1 rap song by a female artist. But in recent weeks, the song has also been the subject of controversy after a group of songwriters publicly claimed that "Truth Hurts" plagiarized parts of another song they helped write.
The 31-year-old singer responded to the allegations in an Instagram post, denying that the men seeking credit had anything to do with the song.
"The men who now claim a piece of Truth Hurts did not help me write any part of the song. They had nothing to do with the line or how I chose to sing it," Lizzo wrote. "There was no one in the room when I wrote Truth Hurts, except me, Ricky Reed, and my tears. That song is my life, and its words are my truth."
— Feelin Good As Hell (@lizzo) October 23, 2019
Lizzo also acknowledged that a tweet written by a British artist known as Mina Lioness in 2017 helped inspire the song, adding that she would share songwriting credit with her. Mina Lioness responded to the news on Twitter, and thanked Lizzo and her management team for reaching out to her.
"I just took a DNA Test, turns out I'm a credited writer for the number one song on Billboard," the artist wrote in a now-viral tweet.
I just took a DNA Test, turns out I’m a credited writer for the number one song on Billboard.
— Long Jevetina (@MinaLioness) October 23, 2019
As other songwriters double down on their claims that Lizzo did not properly credit them for "Truth Hurts," Lizzo wants a federal judge to weigh in. The singer is suing songwriters Justin and Jeremiah Raisen; Heavy Duty Music Publishing, a company they do business through; songwriter Justin "Yves" Rothman, and other unnamed defendants.
Last week, Justin Raisen claimed in an Instagram post that he, Lizzo, his brother Jeremiah, Jesse Saint John and Yves Rothman wrote a song called "Healthy" in April 2017 and that parts of that song were used in "Truth Hurts."
Raisen said he and his brother weren't contacted about being credited for their contributions and added that they put the song in dispute in 2017 when it was released.
"We've tried to sort this out quietly for the last two years, only asking for 5% each but were shutdown every time," Raisen wrote in the post.
Credits: CNN.com