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British singer Olivia Dean is currently facing allegations of copying the melody from Bill Withers’ iconic 1981 soul track, “Just The Two of Us.” A lawsuit filed in California claims that Dean’s song “I’ve Seen It,” featured on her acclaimed 2025 album *The Art of Loving*, shares musical elements with Withers’ classic that are too similar to be coincidental.
The complaint has been directed at Dean’s record label, Capitol Records, as well as its parent company Universal Music Group and her publishing entities. Notably, the suit does not seek damages from Dean herself or her co-writers Bastian Langebæk and Max Wolfgang. According to legal paperwork reviewed by the BBC, the publishers Mattie Music Group, who manage Withers’ catalogue, commissioned a musicologist to analyze both songs. The expert concluded that there are significant resemblances between the tracks, specifically pointing to what they describe as “repeated copying” of Withers’ melody.
The plaintiffs assert they informed Capitol Records about the possible copyright infringement in August, but the track was not removed from streaming platforms. To establish plagiarism, Mattie Music Group must demonstrate that Dean and her collaborators had access to the original song. The lawsuit argues that given Withers’ track’s “extraordinary and sustained” success, including decades of extensive radio play, it is reasonable to assume that Dean and her co-writers were familiar with “Just The Two of Us” prior to composing “I’ve Seen It.” Representatives for Dean and the defendants have yet to respond to the claims.
“I’ve Seen It,” serving as the final song on Dean’s breakthrough album released in September 2025, is an intimate acoustic ballad exploring different forms of love, ranging from adolescent crushes to the affection shared with family and friends. Speaking to W Magazine last year, Dean described writing the song after a night of drinking red wine. “When I heard it back for the first time, I burst into tears. It felt like the loveliest note to end on. Whether it’s within your friends, your family, or just the love that exists in the strangers around you, it’s there, and it’s inside of you, too,” she said.
On streaming platforms, “I’ve Seen It” has amassed roughly 246 million listens on Spotify, while Bill Withers’ “Just The Two of Us” boasts about 948 million plays. Withers’ hit reached number two on the US charts in 1981 and earned him a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. He passed away in 2020. Meanwhile, Dean’s accomplishments include winning Best New Artist at the latest Grammy Awards, with her album *The Art of Loving* reaching number three in the US and topping charts in the UK, as well as securing the Brit Award for Album of the Year
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