A legal battle has been initiated by Ariana Grande against alleged hackers accused of stealing and commercializing her unreleased music, photos, and videos over an extended period. The singer lodged a lawsuit in a California state court, asserting a sustained hacking operation targeting close associates and individuals with access to her unreleased content. The unauthorized access resulted in the theft, distribution, and exploitation of Grande’s private material.
The lawsuit implicates a group of unidentified individuals who infiltrated online accounts and devices of photographers, producers, and other collaborators of Grande. They illicitly obtained unreleased music, recording sessions, music video components, photos, and other confidential content, subsequently selling it on the dark web for substantial profits. Grande’s legal action cites the hacking and leakage of 45 unreleased songs in 2023 alone and multiple similar breaches since her debut in 2011.
Various breaches are detailed in the complaint, including the alleged theft of a photographer’s Dropbox account login details in 2019, the hacking of a producer’s phone in the subsequent year leading to the leakage of unreleased material, and a phishing attempt in 2024 targeting a digital technician associated with a photographer Grande collaborated with. The singer claims that the hackers set up a fake Gmail account and internet domain to deceive the technician into sharing private material.
Ariana Grande has previously condemned hackers for leaking her unreleased content, notably referring to an incident involving a leaked track called “Fantasize,” which she produced with Swedish producer Max Martin for a TV show. In an interview on The Zach Sang Show in 2024, Grande expressed frustration over the unauthorized release of her work and labeled the perpetrators as “thieves, pirates, crooks, illegal.”
Jeremy Goldman, a Los Angeles-based legal expert specializing in intellectual property, media, entertainment, and technology, characterized the situation as complex. He suggested that Grande’s legal action aims to secure subpoena power to trace compromised accounts and gather information from internet service providers. Goldman noted similarities with a lawsuit filed by singer Sia in 2023, emphasizing the challenges of attributing cyber crimes due to the elusive nature of hackers.
Despite the legal complexities, Grande is preparing to unveil her eighth studio album, “Petal,” later this week. Currently on her Eternal Sunshine tour, she is set to perform in Montreal for a three-night engagement, marking the only Canadian stop on the tour.