Culture Craze

Tyla Drops New Tracks and Faces Lawsuit Over Global Smash on Same Day

Published

2 months ago

July 30, 2025

Chiraag

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One day, two stories, and Tyla is at the heart of both

South African pop star Tyla made headlines in two very different ways recently. On 25 July 2025, she unveiled her WWP EP titled We Wanna Party, featuring new songs “Dynamite” with Wizkid and “Mr Media,” while simultaneously facing a renewed lawsuit claiming unfair credit and royalties over her breakout 2023 hit “Water.”

New music meets legal fireworks

Fans were treated to a sleek, Afrobeats-tinged collaboration in “Dynamite,” a mixing of Nigerian and South African powerhouses that’s earned instant playlist love. Meanwhile, “Mr Media” adds a bold flavour to Tyla’s upcoming EP. The release follows her earlier singles “Bliss” (May) and “Is It” (July), which have topped charts and sparked viral trends across apps and airwaves alike.

The lawsuit: who’s suing and why it matters

At the same time, two California‑based collaborators on “Water,” Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro, have filed a fresh suit against Tyla, producer Sammy SoSo (Samuel Awuku), and Sony Music. The pair had initially sued in March, dropped that case on 24 July, and refiled the next day with new legal counsel.

Despite being credited as co‑writers, Zucca and LoMastro claim they were excluded from top‑line producer credits, pushing the track’s final sound. They argue that alongside SoSo and another producer, Rayo, they significantly contributed to instruments and arrangements used in the final master but were only offered small royalty shares and no proper producer credit.

What do they want?

The lawsuit demands:
• Recognition as equal top‑line producers on Water
• Retroactive and future publishing royalties of 12.5 percent each
• A formal producer fee
They allege Water has earned over $10 million in revenue, with projections of more than $50 million over its lifetime.

They say their reputations and careers suffered because they were denied proper credit and visibility in the industry.

Context meets chaos

“Water” blew up in 2023, earning Tyla a Grammy Award for Best African Music Performance, topping the Hot R&B Songs chart, and peaking at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has amassed over 1.1 billion streams on Spotify and hundreds of millions of YouTube views.

For South African readers, this isn’t just legal drama. It highlights the complexities Black African creatives often face, making global hits yet still fighting for fair credit and fair pay in systems where rights and recognition can easily be overlooked.

Fans and industry watching

Social and music-industry circles are alight. Many are pointing out how ironic it is that Tyla’s biggest hit is now wrapped in controversy just as she’s celebrating new releases. Cause and consequence are clashing in real time.

On platforms like X, industry insiders question how credit and earnings are allocated behind the scenes. One user wrote, “If these guys are rightly credited, it changes how songwriting deals get done globally.”

Why it matters for SA’s music future

This moment is pivotal. It underscores how powerful South African talent has become globally and also shows how our industry still grapples with equitable business practices when songs cross borders.

Tyla’s rise to superstardom is emblematic of SA’s creative potential. But this lawsuit reminds us that behind every viral beat there’s a team whose names deserve recognition. As Tyla continues to expand her sound and team, her trajectory could influence how royalties and producer credits are handled for emerging African artists.