R&B/Soul
Beyoncé hit with lawsuit over claims Alien Superstar uses unlicensed spoken‑word sample
Beyoncé is facing a new lawsuit alleging that her 2022 track Alien Superstar contains spoken‑word material used without the correct licence.
Beyoncé is reportedly being sued over claims that her song Alien Superstar includes a spoken‑word passage taken from another recording without the proper clearance.
According to TMZ, Hirose Enterprise and producer Shuji Hirose have filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages from the singer and several music companies connected to the track, which appeared on her 2022 album Renaissance.
The plaintiffs say they own the rights to Moonraker, a recording performed by John Holiday, and allege that the spoken‑word introduction from that track was incorporated into Alien Superstar without permission.
Court documents reportedly claim Beyoncé’s team later attempted to secure a licence - but approached Holiday rather than Hirose Enterprise, despite Holiday having transferred his interest in the song decades earlier.
Hirose Enterprise further alleges that Beyoncé and the other defendants were informed of the issue but continued to sell and distribute Renaissance without altering the track.
The company is now seeking damages and an injunction preventing Beyoncé from profiting from the allegedly infringing material while the case proceeds.
Alien Superstar opens with a spoken‑word instruction telling listeners to remain calm and stay on the dancefloor before Beyoncé’s vocals begin. The track featured on Renaissance, her seventh studio album, which saw the star embrace dance, house and disco influences.
At the time of the album’s release, Beyoncé described the project as a creative escape during a turbulent period.
She wrote on Instagram: “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world."
The allegations have not yet been tested in court, and the lawsuit represents the plaintiffs’ claims rather than a legal finding of copyright infringement.
