Beyonce has hit back at the band Right Said Fred by insisting that she not only asked permission to sample their music but that she paid them for the privilege.
Earlier this week the English pop band – formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass – had claimed the American singer had ripped them off by sampling their 1991 hit song I’m Too Sexy in her new hit Alien Superstar.
Yet in a statement shared with MailOnline on Friday, Beyonce’s team called the claims ‘erroneous, incredibly disparaging and false’.
They insisted that permission was granted by Right Said Fred’s publisher and said the stars have ‘co-writer credit’ on Beyonce’s new single.
Denial: Beyonce has hit back at the band Right Said Fred by insisting that she not only asked permission to sample their music but that she paid them for the privilege
The statement read: The comments made by Right Said Fred stating that Beyonce used ”I’m Too Sexy” in ”Alien Superstar” without permission are erroneous and incredibly disparaging.
‘Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album. For their song, there was no sound recording use, only the composition was utilised.’
‘Permission was asked of their publisher on May 11, 2022 and the publisher approved the use on June 15, 2022. They were paid for the usage in August, 2022. Furthermore, the copyright percentage of the Right Said Fred writers with respect to the use of ”I’m Too Sexy” is a substantial portion of the composition.’
It concluded: ‘Collectively the Right Said Fred writers own more than any other singular writer and have co-writer credit. This accusation is false.’
Speaking out: I’m Too Sexy artists Right Said Fred, including brothers Fred Fairbrass, 69, and Richard Fairbrass, 58, slammed Beyonce as ‘arrogant’ after claiming the superstar did not ask for permission to sample their 1991 hit for her song Alien Superstar
‘The comments made by Right Said Fred stating that Beyonce used “I’m Too Sexy” in “Alien Superstar” without permission are erroneous and incredibly disparaging.
Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album. For their song, there was no sound recording use, only the composition was utilised.
Permission was asked of their publisher on May 11, 2022 and the publisher approved the use on June 15, 2022. They were paid for the usage in August, 2022.
Furthermore, the copyright percentage of the Right Said Fred writers with respect to the use of “I’m Too Sexy” is a substantial portion of the composition.
Collectively the Right Said Fred writers own more than any other singular writer and have co-writer credit. This accusation is false.’
I’m Too Sexy artists Right Said Fred previously slammed Beyonce as ‘arrogant’ after claiming the superstar did not ask for permission to sample their music.
Their single, I’m Too Sexy, has been adapted before by the likes of Drake and Taylor Swift.
Yet the band claimed in an interview with The Sun: ‘Normally the artist approaches us but Beyonce didn’t because she is such an arrogant person she just had probably thought “come and get me” so we heard about it after the fact when you did.
‘But everyone else, Drake and Taylor Swift, they came to us.’
The song has been adapted by both of the latter artists, with Swift using the same rhythm and pattern for her 2017 hit Look What You Made Me Do; while Drake used samples of the track for his 2021 collaboration Way 2 Sexy with Future and Young Thug.
The group was critical of Beyonce, pictured in 2019, after she did not ask for permission to sample their material
Right Said Fred detailed the process they claim Beyonce ignored in sampling their material in her work.
‘To use our melody they need our permission so they send us the demo and we approve it and if so we get a co-write credit,’ they said. ‘With this Beyoncé thing there are 22 writers it’s ridiculous so we would get about 40p.’
They opened up on the economics of the music business as to why royalties might be down
.
