Beyonce is repulsing statements that she didn’t ask permission from Right Said Fred to use their song “I’m Too Sexy,” referring to it as merely plain wrong.
The musical duo, whose members are Fred and Richard Fairbrass, called the superstar “arrogant” during an interview with The Sun earlier this week. Both claimed that she didn’t ask consent to interlope their 1992 smash-hit “I’m Too Sexy” on her track “Alien Superstar,” which is on her newest album, Renaissance.
But Beyonce contradicts that statement.
“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,” the Queen Bey’s representative told EW.
“Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album.”
The statement stressed that “no sound recording” from “I’m Too Sexy” was utilized within “Alien Superstar,” merely the song’s “composition,” and it offered proof to back its claims.
“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,” the statement said.
“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.”
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‘I’m Too Sexy’ Feature without Permission
In their interview, Right Said Fred alleged they had no knowledge whatsoever that Beyonce had used their track until its release.
“Normally, the artist approaches us, but Beyonce didn’t because she is such an arrogant person,” they stated. “She just had probably thought, ‘Come and get me,’ so we heard about it after the fact when you did.”
This is opposed to Beyonce’s statement and Right Said Fred’s own previous remarks about the song being used in Renaissance. A week prior to the album being released on July 29, the band took to Twitter to express their joy, writing, “It’s nice to get a writing credit on the new ‘Beyonce’ album.”
Usually, according to the duo, artists who have utilized the song’s melody – like Drake and Taylor Swift – have all asked for consent from the brothers. Drake used the track in his 2021 single “Way 2 Sexy,” while Swift incorporated it in her 2017 song “Look What You Made Me Do.”
They stated that there was nothing they could do about the track now.
“You are going to get into a conversation with someone who has a lot more presence and power and money than we do. And that won’t go well,” the band stated. “It’s best to let it go. If you’re not careful, you spend your life looking back. We keep looking forward the whole time.”
Right Said Fred isn’t the first artist to have called out Beyonce for featuring their music in Renaissance. Back in August, Kelis – singer and chef – stated that it was “stupid and disrespectful” that her 2003 track “Milkshake” was incorporated into the song “Energy” without her permission. Since then, the sample has been pulled out from the track on several streaming platforms.
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Photo: Madamenoire
