Dua Lipa Settles ‘Levitating’ Lawsuit With Talk Box Musician

Bosko Kante claimed he created and licensed a performance for the original version of song, but the agreement didn't cover its use in any of the hit remixes

Dua Lipa has settled a copyright infringement and breach of contract lawsuit with the producer Bosko Kante over her hit song, “Levitating.” 

Lawyers for both parties signaled a settlement had been reached in court documents filed Monday, Nov. 9. The case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again, and both sides will cover their own costs and attorneys fees. Additional details of any settlement — such as whether it would include monetary damages or song credits — were not disclosed. 

“In short, we believe this case, and resolution, benefits all artists that produce, perform, and collaborate on projects released by large labels,” Na’il Benjamin, a lawyer for Bosko, said in a statement. “Artist contributions are valuable; and proper use, credit and compensation are important to artists. We believe we’ve resolved Bosko’s disputes with Warner in a manner that reflects Bosko’s contributions to Levitate.”

Lawyers for Lipa and the other defendants — including Warner Records and producer Stephen “Koz” Kozmeniuk — did not return Rolling Stone‘s requests for comment.

Kante brought his suit over “Levitating” in 2023. The musician and producer specializes in making music with a “talk box” voice modulator; over the years, he’s invented his own ElectroSplit device, collaborated with artists like Kanye West and Big Boi, and composed the theme music for the hit Nineties sketch comedy series In Living Color. Kante claimed that in 2019, while working on “Levitating,” Kozmeniuk reached out and asked him about “creating and performing a talk box performance” for the song. 

According to the suit, Kante eventually struck a licensing agreement that would allow his performance to feature on the track. But Kante claimed the agreement only covered the original version of “Levitating,” released March 26, 2020. It did not cover, he claimed, any future remixes of “Levitating,” of which there were several, including a smash hit version featuring DaBaby. 

Kante’s suit was one of several to be filed over “Levitating.” It’s also the only one to end in a settlement, with Lipa prevailing in the other cases.

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The first was brought in March 2022 by a Florida reggae band, Artikal Sound System, who claimed Lipa stole the hook of their song, “Live Your Life,” for her hit. That case was dismissed after a judge ruled that Artikal Sound System had failed to prove that Lipa and her collaborators had ever heard “Live Your Life.” 

Additionally, songwriters L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer claimed that “Levitating” ripped off their 1979 disco song, “Wiggle and Giggle All Night.” That suit was also dismissed, with a judge ruling that “Levitating” did not bear enough similarity to “Wiggle and Giggle” to warrant a trial.