South African global sensation Tyla is at the center of a heated legal battle over her breakout hit “Water,” as music producers Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro push forward with their lawsuit demanding full credit and royalties as top-line producers of the viral track.
The producers, both listed as co-writers on the chart-topping single, claim they were wrongfully denied proper production credit and have not received any royalty payments. According to court documents, Zucca and LoMastro allege that their reputations have been tarnished by being left out of the top-line producer credits, which were instead given to Rayan El-Hussein Goufar and Samuel Awuku.
The lawsuit emphasizes that Zucca and LoMastro’s involvement in “Water” was substantial and should not be reduced to that of “session musicians.” The producers argue that they were never paid on a work-for-hire basis, nor did they sign any agreement classifying their contributions as such. Instead, they maintain that they played a central role in crafting the sonic identity of the song that catapulted Tyla to international stardom.
“Zucca and LoMastro were not ‘session musicians’, and their contribution to the song was not done on a work-for-hire basis,” the lawsuit states. “They were never paid on such terms, and they were never informed that they were contributing as anything less than full producers.”
Tyla, whose career skyrocketed following the release of “Water,” has remained silent on the matter. The hit song became a cultural phenomenon, leading to global chart success and earning the singer widespread acclaim, including awards and international magazine covers.
As the legal drama unfolds, industry observers are watching closely, noting that this case could have wide-reaching implications for music credit attribution and royalty structures, especially in collaborative projects involving multiple creators across borders.
Meanwhile, fans remain supportive of Tyla, though many are calling for transparency and fairness for all contributors involved in the making of “Water.” With the song now seen as a pivotal moment in South African pop-amapiano music history, the outcome of this lawsuit could set a precedent in how creative credits are assigned and respected in the modern music landscape.
LAWSUIT: Legal battle over Tyla's song Water continues
Olmo Zucca & Jackson LoMastro are claiming to be co-composers and co-authors of the song, Water > pic.twitter.com/MGss7h6UhY
— ZiMoja Lezinto (@ZimojaL) April 14, 2025
