Beyoncé is retaliating against Right. According to Fred, the singer borrowed the band’s 1992 smash “I’m Too Sexy” for her 2022 track, “Alien Superstar,” without their consent.
The “Break My Soul” singer, 41, assured fans that permission to sample the ’90s music was obtained by Right Said Fred’s publisher, calling the group’s accusations “erroneous and terribly disparaging.”
“Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “For their song, there was no sound recording use, only the composition was utilized. Permission was asked of their publisher on May 11, 2022 and the publisher approved the use on June 15, 2022. They were paid for the usage in August, 2022.”
Furthermore, the Grammy winner stated that the pop duet, comprised of brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass, had “co-writer credit” on her hit song, which appears as the third track on her album Renaissance, which was released in July.
Beyoncé’s remark comes three days after Right Said Fred chastised Beyonce for sampling their song without first seeking permission.
“Normally the artist approaches us, but Beyoncé didn’t because she is such an arrogant person,” the brothers told reporters on Oct. 3. “She just had probably thought, ‘Come and get me,’ so we heard about it after the fact when you did.”
Correctly stated Other musicians, like Drake and Taylor Swift, “came to us” for permission to utilize “I’m Too Sexy” in their work, according to Fred.
“To use our melody, they need our permission so they send us the demo and we approve it and if so, we get a co-write credit,” the brothers continued. “With this Beyoncé thing, there are 22 writers. It’s ridiculous, so we would get about 40 [pounds].”
However, the British pair said they feel powerless in their battle against Beyoncé but are determined to press on.
“We can’t stop it. There is nothing we can do. It is s–t,” they told the outlet. “You are going to get into a conversation with someone who has a lot more presence and power and money than we do. And that won’t go well. It’s best to let it go. If you’re not careful you spend your life looking back. We keep looking forward the whole time.”