Shakira denies plagiarism allegation in Spain court

Mar 29, 2019 06:00 am

MADRID : Colombian singers Shakira and Carlos Vives denied during an appearance on Wednesday at a Madrid court that they plagiarised part of their 2016 Grammy-winning hit La Bicicleta, which means The Bicycle.

Music publisher MDRB filed a complaint in 2017 in a commercial court in Madrid on behalf of Livan Rafael Castellanos, a Cuban singer known as Livam, who alleges that the catchy tune copies parts of the melody and lyrics from his own song Yo te quiero tanto (I love you so much).

"I had never heard it in my life," Shakira, 42, told the court when asked about Livam's song.

Vives, 57, who co-wrote The Bicycle with her and music producer Andres Castro, also said he did not know the song or Livam.

The Bicycle won two big Latin Grammy Awards - song and record of the year.

"There is nothing similar about it, not the harmony, not the theme," said Shakira, who hummed several fragments of her song during her court appearance. - AFP