Travis Scott, SZA, Future sued over alleged lyrics theft from Victory Boyd’s song

Victory Boyd accuses Travis Scott, SZA, and Future of stealing lyrics from her 2019 track ‘Like The Way It Sounds.’

Travis Scott, SZA, and Future are facing a copyright lawsuit after allegations that they copied elements of their 2023 hit ‘Telekinesis’ from Victory Boyd’s 2019 song ‘Like The Way It Sounds.’ 

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, claims the artists willfully and intentionally used Boyd's lyrics and other components in their song without permission.

Boyd, a singer signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, asserts that she shared ‘Like The Way’ with Kanye West, who later recorded it as ‘Ultrasounds.’ West allegedly passed the song to Scott, who then introduced it to SZA and Future. Boyd’s legal team contends that Scott and the others deliberately used her original work to create ‘Telekinesis’ after gaining access to her song.

The lawsuit further alleges that the stars admitted to using Boyd's work, as she was initially credited as a co-writer when the song appeared on streaming platforms. Boyd’s lawyers claim that they were later offered an 8 percent songwriting credit to settle the dispute, though Boyd emphasizes that she never gave consent for her song to be used.

In addition to the artists, luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet is also named in the lawsuit. Boyd claims the company used ‘Telekinesis’ in advertising despite her refusal to grant a license for the song's use. The legal filing accuses the defendants of collaborating to commercially release the song and its associated advertisements without Boyd’s approval.