Adele and producer Greg Kurstin accused of plagiarism by Brazilian hitmaker
O compositor Toninho Geraes acredita que "Million Years Ago," de Adele, é plágio de "Mulheres," gravado por Martinho da Vila; entenda #RollingStone15Anoshttps://t.co/4XMtgRdlfR
- Rolling Stone Brasil (@rollingstoneBR) September 27, 2021
Ok so this news has been all over Brazilian news for weeks but somehow OP didn't see it anywhere in English language media?? So here's the gist:
Toninho Geraes is the composer of the melody in the absolute CLASSIC Brazilian samba song, "Mulheres". He's accusing Adele and her producer Greg Kurstin of plagiarizing it in the song "Million Years Ago". Toninho has composed several samba and pagode hits in Brazil.
He wants to be credited as co-author, receive royalties and payment of damages.
"Million Years Ago" came out 6 years ago, but Toninho doesn't follow international pop music so he only heard it for the first time about a year ago, after a music producer talked to him about it. The producer heard the song at a party and immediately thought it was an authorized use of the song, but when he checked the credits, he noticed Geraes wasn't in them. Geraes says he was shocked when he first heard the song, and has been trying since then to get in touch with her team without success.
In 27th February of this year, his lawyer sent a notice to Sony Music. They received a reply saying the case was in the hands of Adele and XL Recordings for a solution.
In the beginning of May, notices were sent to XL Recordings/Beggars Group, Adele and Greg Kurstin. No reply. Another notice was sent to the same parties on 20th May, also with no reply.
Toninho's legal team has had technical analyses done by 3 musical forensic experts. According to the lawyer, they identified 87% of the song's melody (notes from the intro, chorus and end) as copy, and one of them was able to pinpoint techniques used to "cover up" the alleged plagiarism.
Greg Kurstin, Adele's producer, has studied Brazilian samba music in university and has even learned to play berimbau, an instrument originally played by enslaved Africans and Afro-Brazilians in capoeira. "Mulheres" is a huge, huge, huge classic in Brazil, was performed by legendary artist Martinho da Vila, so in all probability a scholar of Brazilian music would have heard it.
Toninho's lawyer says Adele's version is very similar to a version sung by Brazilian artist Simone, who recorded "Mulheres" in a slower rythm as a pop ballad. According to him, Kurstin is familiar with the artist.
After being unsuccessful in getting in touch with Adele's team and solve the matter amicably, the lawyer is currently preparing to file a suit against Adele and her producer.
After the case gained traction in Brazilian media, Adele/her label has disabled comments on the song "Million Years Ago" on her Youtube page. Yet still hasn't gotten in touch with Geraes and his lawyer.
Click to viewand someone did a remix lol
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is this your (cultural appropriating) queen, ONTD? is it plagiarism or not?