Ariana Grande sues hackers over unreleased music
Ariana Grande has taken legal action against those responsible for years of music leaks, filing a lawsuit against two unidentified individuals she alleges hacked into the private digital accounts of photographers and producers within her inner circle and walked away with hundreds of unreleased songs, behind-the-scenes photographs, and private video and audio recordings from her creative process.
The complaint, filed on Monday, July 27, paints a picture of sustained and deliberate theft that stretches back years. According to the filing, the stolen material was never intended for public consumption and was subsequently sold on the dark web, turning the private moments of Grande’s creative life into a commodity traded without her knowledge or consent.
The scale of what was taken is considerable. “In 2023 alone, 45 unreleased songs belonging to Ms. Grande were hacked, stolen, and leaked by Defendants,” the complaint alleged. “Since her music debut in 2011, hundreds of similar leaks have taken place.” The cumulative picture that emerges is of an artist who has spent over a decade watching work she had not chosen to release being stripped from her and shared with the world on someone else’s timeline.
Grande is also asking the court to assist in identifying the individuals behind the alleged cyberattacks, suggesting that the full extent of who is responsible remains under investigation.
A source close to the singer framed the lawsuit in terms that extended beyond her own situation. “The lawsuit is intended to serve as a deterrent against future acts of this nature, not only targeting Ariana, but also the many artists who have faced similar invasions of their privacy and theft of their creative work,” the source told People magazine. “Artists deserve the right to control how and when their art is shared with the world. The unlawful theft and distribution of creative work undermines that right and should not be tolerated.”
The lawsuit carries a particular irony given what Grande herself said publicly years before it became reality. While promoting Eternal Sunshine on the Zach Sang Show, she had reacted to the viral leak of Fantasize with a warning that now sounds entirely prophetic. “We were, before I left for Wicked, a few studio sessions that I did which are all over TikTok, thank you so much, I’ll see you in jail. Literally,” she had said. She described the leaked material as having been written for a separate television project and was unambiguous about her feelings toward those responsible. “These pirates, crooks, illegal!” she said.
For Grande, the filing of this lawsuit is a statement that the theft of an artist’s creative work is not a victimless act. It is an invasion, and she intends to hold those responsible accountable for it.
