Country music superstar Carrie Underwood, along with her “Something in the Water” co-writers Chris DeStefano and Brett James, are facing a lawsuit from Canadian songwriters Ron McNeill and Georgia Lyons. The pair claim that the hit song mirrors their original work by the same name.
“The hook on the infringing work, as released on the album, is structurally and lyrically identical, and substantially similar melodically to plaintiffs’ composition of the same title,” the two argue in their case.
In the federal court lawsuit, McNeill and Lyons claim they pitched their version of “Something in the Water” directly to the Oklahoma native’s producer Mark Bright in 2014. The songwriters never heard back from the producer and Underwood released her song “Something in the Water” later that same year.
The songwriters are asking for a jury trial and any profits the song has generated since its release. As fans can recall, the tune rocketed to No. 1 on country radio and peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Watch the official “Something in the Water” music video below!
In response to the lawsuit, the singer and her representatives have released the following statement though the Tennessean :
“We are aware that a lawsuit was filed regarding the authorship of ‘Something in the Water,'” a spokeswoman for Underwood shared. “We want all of Carrie’s fans, and everyone, to know that ‘Something in the Water’ was written by Brett James, Chris DeStefano and Carrie Underwood. This is a deeply personal song regarding Carrie’s faith and she is saddened that anyone would attempt to challenge that for financial gain. Neither Carrie nor any of her co-writers ever received or heard the plaintiffs’ song. We fully expect that Carrie, Brett and Chris will be vindicated in the courts.”
Interestingly enough, this isn’t the first lawsuit Carrie has been involved in lately. After three years of litigation, Carrie Underwood and fellow country star Brad Paisley defeated a $10 million dollar lawsuit from a songwriter claiming they committed copyright infringement for their hit duet “Remind Me.” The judge ultimately ruled in Underwood and Paisley’s favor in August 2016, finally bringing the issue to a close.
Share this surprising update with other fans of the songstress!
