- Published
British pop star Olivia Dean has been accused of copying the melody of Bill Withers' soul classic Just The Two of Us in a legal case filed in California.
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Dean → publish → California
The complaint centres around Dean's song I've Seen It, taken from her Brit Award-winning 2025 album The Art of Loving.
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I → centre → Loving
Just The Two of Us was a hit for Withers in 1981, and the publishers of the late singer's catalogue allege that the two songs "share musical features" that are "so striking" they cannot have arisen by coincidence alone.
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they → allege → coincidence
The lawsuit names Dean's record label Capitol Records, parent company Universal Music Group and her publishing companies as the defendants.
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lawsuit → name → defendants
It does not seek damages from the singer herself or her co-writers Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang.
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It → seek → singer
In legal documents seen by the BBC, Mattie Music Group, which looks after Withers' back catalogue, said it hired a musicologist to review the two songs.
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it → see → songs
He concluded "that the works contain substantial similarities" including the "repeated copying" of the melody from Just The Two of Us, the documents said.
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documents → conclude → Us
The publishers claim they notified Dean's record label of the potential infringement in August, but the music was not pulled from distribution.
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music → claim → distribution
To prove plagiarism, Mattie Music Group would have to prove that Dean and her co-writers had previously heard Withers' original composition.
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Dean → prove → composition
In the lawsuit, they allege that his song's "extraordinary and sustained" commercial success, including "decades of radio play", would mean the musicians had "reasonable opportunity" to have encountered Just The Two of Us before writing I've Seen It.
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I → allege → It
The defendants have yet to respond to the lawsuit.
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defendants → have → lawsuit
The BBC has contacted them, and Dean's representatives, for a comment.
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BBC → contact → comment
I've Seen It is the closing track of Dean's breakthrough album, which was released in September 2025.
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which → see → September
A sweet, acoustic ballad, it discusses the various types of love she's encountered in her life - from high school crushes to the love she has for her family and friends.
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she → discuss → family
Speaking to W Magazine last year, she said the song was written after "I'd had a lot of red wine".
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I → speak → wine
"When I heard it back for the first time, I burst into tears.
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I → hear → tears
It felt like the loveliest note to end on.
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It → feel → note
Whether it's within your friends, your family, or just the love that exists in the strangers around you, it's there, and it's inside of you, too.
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it → exist → you
"
It is has been streamed on Spotify about 246 million times, while Just The Two of Us has racked up 948 million plays.
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Two → stream → plays
Withers' track went to number two in the US charts in 1981 and earned him a Grammy for best R&B song.
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track → go → song
He died in 2020.
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He → die → 2020
Dean picked up best new artist at this year's Grammys, while The Art of Loving reached number three in the US and number one in the UK, and was named album of the year at the Brit Awards.
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Art → pick → Awards
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article → contain → YouTube
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they → ask → cookies
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You → want → policy
This article contains content provided by Google YouTube.
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article → contain → YouTube
We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies.
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they → ask → cookies
You may want to read Google’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting.
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You → want → policy
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