Hear It Yourself: Did Shakira Copy New Bizarrap Song From A Venezuelan Singer?
It’s safe to say Shakira‘s new session with Argentine DJ Bizarrap is already controversial enough (and we love it). The song, titled “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” takes aim at the singer‘s ex-partner Piqué, naming both him and his new 23-year-old girlfriend Clara Chía Marti. That being said, the track is now under fire for another reason altogether.
The chorus could allegedly be a copy of up-and-coming Venezuelan singer Briella’s song “Solo Tú.”
Venezuelan singer Briella responded to the controversy
As Briella, 23, explained in a recent Instagram post, she believes “Shakira got inspired by [her] song ‘Solo Tú’ for her session” with Bizarrap. The Venezuelan singer then compares her own song’s chorus to how Shakira sings “Como tú” with a startlingly similar melody. Check out the comparison for yourself:
While many are already commenting under Briella’s post about lawyering-up and obtaining royalties, the singer still says she is “not looking for problems.”
In fact, Briella explained that she is “in shock” more than anything else. Over on her IG Stories, the Venezuelan singer said “the melody is very similar to ‘Solo Tú'” and that she was “shaking” with an “accelerated heartbeat.”
She described, “It’s not just me, so many people have written to me… I love Shakira, it’s almost an honor for her to plagiarize me, but no.”
Briella wants credit for possibly inspiring the song’s chorus
Although she’s been a Shakira fan “her whole life” and counts the star as “a huge inspiration,” Briella says she still “wants credit” for the shocking similarity.
The Venezuelan singer-songwriter said, “I don’t want people to misinterpret me… I don’t like problems, and I’m getting negative messages… As a songwriter, it would be an honor to receive credit.”
Over on social media, people are beginning to react to the similarities between the two songs. One Twitter user wrote, “There’s no way this is a coincidence.”
Social media reactions are divided
Even though some people assert that Shakira most probably doesn’t know about the singer’s existence, Briella’s song has more than 1 million views on YouTube, and went viral on TikTok. So there is a possibility either Shakira or Bizarrap could have heard it.
On the other hand, some music aficionados are pointing out that the melody is common in many pop songs. Another Twitter user wrote, “Let’s explain how most scales in pop music work,” including songs by Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato.
Many have accused Shakira of plagiarizing in the past
It’s important to note that Shakira has a history of *ahem* taking inspiration from other songs. For one, Shakira was once under fire for allegedly copying the intro to Jerry Rivera’s “Amores Como El Nuestro” for her 2006 song “Hips Don’t Lie.”
However, it turned Shakira actually had received permission to sample it by composer Omar Alfanno, so case closed. Moreover, in 2014, a judge ruled that her hit “Loca” copied Dominican songwriter Ramón Arias Vásquez’s song “Loca con su Tíguere.”
The song was recorded by El Cata, if that sounds more familiar:
The list goes on, including Shakira’s mega-hit “Waka Waka,” which borrows from both Cameroonian Golden Sounds/Zangalewa’s song “Zamina mina (Zangaléwa)” and consequently this track by Dominican band Las Chicas del Can. While original composers Golden Sounds said they had an agreement with Shakira, the song was still shrouded in controversy.
When it comes to Briella, only time will tell.
