Lizzo Credits British Singer As Writer on ‘Truth Hurts’ After Plagiarism Dispute

Topline: Lizzo has credited British singer Mina Lioness as a writer on her Billboard no.1 hit Truth Hurts, bringing to a close one part of a contentious plagiarism dispute after Lioness found that a tweet she sent in 2017 appeared as a lyric in the song.

• The line at the center of the dispute: “I just took a DNA test and it turns out I’m 100% that b-,” is the opening lyric on Lizzo’s 2017 song Truth Hurts, but became controversial when she sought to trademark it earlier this year.
• The move caught the attention of Mina Lioness, who said that the line came from a tweet that she wrote in 2017. 
• On Wednesday, the dispute between the two artists was resolved after it emerged that Mina Lioness was credited as a writer on the song. “I want to publicly thank @Lizzo and her entire management team for embracing me and reaching out,” the British artist tweeted.
• On the same day, Lizzo, filed a lawsuit against songwriters Justin Raisen, Jeremiah Raisen and Justin Rothman, who are claiming that the DNA line was from a different song called “Healthy,” that they helped her write.

Crucial quote: A statement tweeted by Lizzo on Wednesday read: “In 2017, while working on a demo, I saw a meme that resonated with me. ... I sang that line in the demo and I later used the line in Truth Hurts.

“The men who now claim a piece of Truth Hurts did not help me write any part of the song. They had nothing to do with the line or how I chose to sing it. There was no one in the room when I wrote Truth Hurts, except me, Ricky Reed, and my tears. That song is my life, and its words are my truth.”

She added: “I later learned that a tweet inspired the meme. The creator of the tweet is the person I am sharing my success with ... not these men.”

Key background: Truth Hurts became a top 10 hit in countries around the world, notably topping Billboard 100 and Rolling Stone charts after a slow burn. The video for the song now has more than 130 million views on YouTube. Eventually, Lizzo sought to trademark part of the DNA line to put on merchandise.