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Olivia Dean’s music collided with a Grammy-winning classic in a new lawsuit accusing the singer of repeatedly copying the melody of Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.”
Dean’s label was sued by Mattie Music Group – the publisher of Withers’ catalog – on Friday. Dean’s 2025 song “I’ve Seen It” and Withers’ hit classic have “obvious and inescapable similarities,” according to the lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.
“The number, character and arrangement of the shared musical features are so striking that they support an interference that the similarities did not result from coincidence, independent creation or reliance on common musical elements,” the lawsuit claimed.
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Olivia Dean’s label is facing a federal lawsuit accusing her 2025 song “I’ve Seen It” of repeatedly copying the melody of Bill Withers’ Grammy-winning classic “Just the Two of Us.” (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
At the heart of the case is the allegation that “I’ve Seen It” repeatedly copies the “distinctively protectable melody” of “Just the Two of Us.” After coming across the song in August 2026, Mattie Music Group hired musicologist Alexander Stewart, Ph.D., whose preliminary analysis allegedly found substantial similarities in protectable musical expression.
Mattie Music Group insisted Withers’ original song was so widely disseminated that Dean and co-writers Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang had a reasonable opportunity to encounter it.
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Olivia Dean’s label was sued by Mattie Music Group, which claims a musicologist found “substantial similarities” between the songs and argues the alleged copying was not the result of coincidence or independent creation. (Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)
“Just the Two of Us” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, won a Grammy award and received decades of radio play and streams. It has also been covered by a number of artists.
The label reportedly notified the companies of the alleged infringement on Aug. 17, 2026, but claims they continued commercially exploiting the song afterward.
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Bill Withers broke through with “Ain’t No Sunshine” in 1971 and built a celebrated catalog that included “Lean on Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Use Me” and “Just the Two of Us.” (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
The federal lawsuit targets Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing – not Dean herself – and seeks damages, profits and an injunction against further alleged infringement.
Withers broke through in 1971 with “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which earned him his first Grammy. His catalog would ultimately include classics such as “Lean on Me,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Grandma’s Hands” and “Just the Two of Us.
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Olivia Dean, a 27-year-old British singer-songwriter, rose to prominence with her 2023 debut album “Messy” before scoring major success with her second album, “The Art of Loving.” (Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)
Dean, 27, is a British singer-songwriter whose blend of soul, pop and jazz-inflected R&B has made her one of the U.K.’s biggest breakout stars.
She released her debut album, “Messy,” in 2023. Her second album, The Art of Loving,” produced major hits including “Nice to Each Other,” “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” and “Man I Need.”
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