Olivia Dean’s music clashes with Grammy-winning classic as new lawsuit accuses the singer of repeatedly plagiarizing the melody of Bill Withers’ “Just the Two of Us.”
Dean’s record label was sued Friday by Withers publisher Marty Music Group.
According to the lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital, there are “clear and unavoidable similarities” between Dean’s 2025 song “I’ve Seen It” and Withers’ hit classic.
“The number, character, and arrangement of the shared musical features are so striking that they support an interference that the similarities do not arise from coincidence, independent composition, or reliance on common musical elements,” the lawsuit states.
The core of the case is the accusation that “I’ve Seen It” repeatedly plagiarized the “unique protected melody” of “Just the Two of Us”.
After discovering the song in August 2026, Mattie Music Group hired musicologist Alexander Stewart, whose preliminary analysis allegedly found substantial similarities in protected musical expressions.
Marty Music Group maintains that Withers’ original song was so widely circulated that Dean and co-writers Bastian Langeback and Max Wolfgang had reasonable access to it.
“Just the Two of Us” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, won a Grammy Award, and garnered decades of radio play and streaming. It has also been covered by many artists.
The label reportedly notified the companies of the alleged infringement on August 17, 2026, but claims they then continued to commercially exploit the song.
The federal lawsuit targets Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing (not Dean personally) and seeks damages, profits and an injunction against further alleged infringement.
Withers’ breakthrough came in 1971 with “Ain’t No Sunshine,” which won him his first Grammy Award.
His repertoire includes classics such as “Lean on Me,” “Use Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Grandma’s Hands” and “Just the Two of Us.”
Dean, 27, is a British singer-songwriter whose fusion of soul, pop and jazzy R&B has made her one of Britain’s biggest stars.
She released her debut album “Messy” in 2023.
Her second album, The Art of Loving, produced a number of hits, including “Nice to Each Other,” “So Easy (To Fall in Love)” and “Man I Need.”