‘Dancing with a Stranger’ controversy explained as Sam Smith and Normani’s song being accused of plagiarizing Jordan Vincent’s track
3 min read
It has been reported that both Sam Smith and Normani have been sued for copyright infringement of Jordan Vincent’s 2015 track Dancing with a Stranger. The Los Angeles federal court filed a legal complaint on Friday, March 4, according to Rolling Stone.
Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda, and Rosco Banlaoi sued Smith and Normani. It is alleged that they have infringed on both the chorus and composition of their songs. Additionally, the documents claim that the music videos of both songs were similar, according to Rolling Stone.
The funniest thing about Normani and Sam Smith getting sued for Dancing With a Stranger is the fact that these two songs aren't similar at all. I giggled and I know Normani, Sam Smith and the court going to as well pic.twitter.com/1vWjbnnOcs
— mono. ⁷ (@wildsidetannies) March 6, 2022
In the past year, Smith has been sued for allegedly infringing copyright over music similarities for the second time. It was reported in 2015 that Smith had reached a settlement with Tom Petty over the singer’s song Stay With Me. Petty claimed that Smith’s song had compositional similarities to I Won’t Back Down, Smith’s 1989 song.
The allegations against ‘Dancing with a Stranger’ by Sam Smith and Normani are what?
Sam Smith and Normani’s song was alleged to have plagiarized aspects of the 2015 track according to the copyright lawsuit filed by Vincent and his associates. Among the items allegedly plagiarized were the chorus, music composition, and music video set.
Specifically, the group claims there are multiple instances of “Dancing with a Stranger” in Smith’s song. In addition, they claim that the compositions of the tracks are similar as well, such as the chorus’s melody.
In addition to the controversy, Sam Smith and Normani’s video for the song had a similar theme to Sam Smith’s. Sam Smith’s vocals and scenes are spliced in along with Normani’s dance and singing to the song. A dancer appears alongside the artist in Vincent’s video, which has a similar premise.
Jordan Vincent alleges that both videos feature a girl performing interpretive dance alone in a minimalist studio, interspersed with shots of the male vocalist.
Also alleged in the suit is that the plaintiff attempted to establish contact with Smith. Yet Vincent was never reportedly provided with a musical analysis comparing the two songs along with assurances of a reply. The lawsuit was described as a “last resort.”
As a result of the infringement of his intellectual property, Vincent has filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for the damages he has suffered. Universal Music Group, Sony Music Group, and EMI Music Publishing are the targets of the lawsuit. So far, it is unclear whether the artists will reach a settlement outside of court.
Ankita Khanrah
Ankita Khanrah is a second-year student of the Master of Communication and Journalism (Integrated) programme at the School of Mass Communication, KIIT Deemed University, Bhubaneswar.
