Tyla’s ‘Water’ Success Marred by Legal Battle Over Producer Credits and Royalties

Tyla is facing a lawsuit concerning royalties from “Water”, a hit song released in July 2023. The South African Grammy Award winner for Best African Music Performance is the first African female artist to get this honor.

Her song, “Water”, has generated more than $10 million in revenue. The hit song is projected to earn over $50 million in profits, given its rising popularity among multiple audiences. It also amassed more than a billion streams on various streaming platforms in 2023, in addition to peaking at number seven on Billboard Hot 100. Not to mention receiving accolades from MTV and Billboard. 

Tyla's success has been marred by legal disputes regarding improper compensation and unfair credit allocation. Producers Jackson LoMastro and Olmo Zucca have filed the lawsuit in California, alleging that they were not included in the fair share of “Water's” financial success. They assert that their creative input in collaboration with Rayo (Hussein Goufar) and Awuku in Los Angeles could have contributed to the huge success of the 2024 Grammy Award-winning hit song.

The plaintiffs claim that the typical music industry practice of sharing royalties among involved partners was violated. Both allege that Awuku assigned himself about 15% while LoMastro, Goufar, and Zucca received 10% each, with Christopher “Tricky” Steward getting a modest 5%.

“Although plaintiffs tried for months to resolve the matter with Awuku, Awuku refused to cooperate, instead, engaged in a pattern of deception designed to conceal his nefarious actions,” states the plaintiffs' legal complaint shared with Billboard.

The current lawsuit follows the plaintiffs' decision to voluntarily drop a previous case before re-filing the same case on July 25, 2025. Their main concern is to be recognized as top-line producers, get a royalty rate of up to 12.5%, have their public credits rectified, and receive compensation for damages inflicted on their reputation. The outcome of this lawsuit is likely to have an impact on future producer credit practices across the music industry. Sony (Epic) Records and Tyla's team are yet to respond to the allegations.