Beyoncé calls Right Said Fred’s copyright claim “erroneous” and “false”

Beyoncé has responded to Right Said Fred‘s claims over copyright usage on ‘Renaissance’, calling them “erroneous” and “false”.

This week, the duo called Beyoncé “arrogant” for using part of their song ‘I’m Too Sexy’ in her ‘Renaissance’ track ‘Alien Superstar’.

Speaking to The Sun at the 2022 Broadcast Music Inc Awards in London, Fred and Richard Fairbrass said that Beyoncé used elements of their song without seeking permission first.

“Normally the artist approaches us,” they said, “but Beyoncé didn’t because she is such an arrogant person she just had probably thought ‘come and get me’ so we heard about it after the fact when you did. But everyone else, Drake and Taylor Swift, they came to us.”

In a response shared with Pitchfork, Beyoncé refuted these claims, saying: “The comments made by Right Said Fred stating that Beyonce used ‘I’m Too Sexy’ in ‘Alien Superstar’ without permission are erroneous and incredibly disparaging.

“Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album. For their song, there was no sound recording use, only the composition was utilised.”

The statement added: “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 copyright percentage of the Right Said Fred writers with respect to the use of ‘I’m Too Sexy’ is a substantial portion of the composition.

“Collectively the Right Said Fred writers own more than any other singular writer and have co-writer credit.”

It concluded: “This accusation is false.”

The new Right Said Fred controversy is not the first time an artist has criticised Beyoncé over her use of samples and interpolations on her new album. After the release of ‘Renaissance’, Kelis took to social media to claim that Beyoncé used elements of ‘Milkshake’ without her express permission.

The song was later updated on streaming platforms to remove the interpolation. This was the second major change that was made to ‘Renaissance’ – on August 1, it was confirmed that an ableist slur would be removed from the song ‘Heated’.

Since the release of ‘Renaissance’, Beyoncé has shared a four-track EP of ‘Break My Soul’ remixes, as well as a standalone remix helmed by herself and Madonna.

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