Singer Shaira Moro takes down 'Selos' from streaming platforms after Lenka flags copyright issues
The music agency of Bangsamoro pop singer Shaira has taken down her viral single Selos after Lenka flagged them for copyright issues.
AHS Channel announced on Tuesday, March 19 that they have voluntarily removed Shaira’s viral on all streaming platforms following the copyright claim of Australian singer-songwriter Lenka.
“This is a voluntary act on our end as we are still making arrangements with regards to the legality of the publication of the song,” they wrote in the statement, adding that they are currently having discussions with Lenka’s team to make it as an official cover of her 2008 song, Trouble is a Friend.
“As most of you may know, the melody that we have used is originally from a song entitled Trouble is a Friend by Lenka and as of the moment, we are already in contact with her team for us to make Selos an official cover,” they added.
“To those who have been entertained by Shaira’s cover song, we are truly grateful to you for opening your hearts to a song that we once only made public for the sake of entertainment. We certainly did not expect that it [would] become this big to a point where Shaira will be known as the ‘Queen of Bangsamoro Pop.’ We could not be prouder,” the agency added.
The agency also revealed in the comments section that Shaira will be releasing her “original music” soon.
Prior to this, an Instagram user informed Lenka in the comments section of her March 8 post regarding Shaira’s viral song, saying Shaira is “claiming [her] song and earning from it.”
In response, Lenka said, “Yes we have taken action thanks.”
Shaira’s viral single earned massive views on streaming platforms. In the past week, it garnered over 800,000 streams on Spotify. It also spawned funny content and dance covers on TikTok with millions of views.
As of writing, the single is still up on AHS Production’s YouTube channel with over 9 million views.
Its YouTube disclaimer wrote: "The content presented here is a work of parody and should be viewed as such. This work is intended for entertainment purposes only and is not associated with the original creators or any entities affiliated with the original work."
Social media users, meanwhile, expressed mixed reactions regarding the issue.
“Hi you should be thankful to shaira because your song is trending now. Tbh i don’t even know that you are singer,” an Instagram user wrote.
“I feel bad for Shaira,” another one added.
Others sided with Lenka, saying it was her right as the original artist to take legal action.
“As much as I enjoy Shaira's parody ver, we need to acknowledge the copyright law. Credits isn't enough since Shaira/the company may be profiting from it without the original artist and composer,” a social media user commented.
“I hope Filipinos would stop harassing/bashing Lenka. It’s her song. She has all the rights to it. Do not protect someone who would steal from other artists. You are making Filipinos look bad,” another one wrote.
