Evermore frontman sues global music giant over Dean Lewis hit song Be Alright
Songwriter Jon Hume has filed a lawsuit against media giant Universal Music Group over Dean Lewis’ Australian hit Be Alright.
Hume, 40, was born in Australia and later rose to fame in the New Zealand band Evermore, co-writing the song that topped charts around the world in 2018.
In his lawsuit, he alleges that portions of an original recording he made of the song before it was recorded by Lewis, 36, were used in the final release without his knowledge or permission.
He filed a lawsuit against UMG on June 19 in Nashville, US, reported The courier post on Wednesday.
Hume, who co-wrote the song with Lewis, produced what is known as a ‘demo’ [or demonstration] recording of the pop ballad.
The musician, who splits his time between Los Angeles and Nashville, stated in his lawsuit that he played all the instruments on the demo himself and was told at the time that they would not be used in the final recording.
Hume now claims that he discovered in December that his recording was part of the hit version of the song.
He is now seeking damages, including “statutory” damages, compensatory damages, reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of [UMG] because he had used his work “without permission,” the publication reported.
Songwriter Jon Hume has filed a lawsuit against media giant Universal Music Group over Dean Lewis’ Australian hit Be Alright. Hume, 40, (pictured) co-wrote the song that topped the global charts in 2018
Universal Music Australia told the publication it had “no comment” on the lawsuit.
Be Alright was a huge worldwide hit, topping the ARIA chart in Australia and was a top 30 hit in the US and reached the top 20 in the UK
It also became a number 1 hit in Belgium, the Czech Republic and Singapore.
Hume’s lawsuit alleges that portions of an original recording he made of the song before it was recorded by Lewis, 36, were used in the final release without his knowledge or permission. Pictured: Dean Lewis on stage in the US in May
Hume is known as a producer and songwriter. In 2019 he wrote the hit Purple Hat for Sofi Tukker and in 2020 he wrote and produced the British hit Dead Celebrities by Easy Life.
Following Be Alright, Hume continued to collaborate with Lewis, co-writing the 2022 hits for Australian artists How Do I Say Goodbye and Hurtless.
It’s a preview of Lewis’ third studio album, The Epilogue, on which Hume produced the track Hume Memories.
Hume filed a lawsuit in Nashville, US against UMG on June 19, The Courier Mail reported on Wednesday. Pictured: Hume fronting Evermore in Melbourne in 2009
The hitmaker is set to tour Australia with Daniel Seavey as the support act for Lewis’ upcoming national tour.
This is a major milestone for the 25-year-old, who first rose to fame as a member of the boy band Why Don’t We following his appearance on American Idol.
Daniel will be joining Lewis on a seven-concert tour of Australia, starting on October 30 at the Civic Theatre in Newcastle.
Tickets for the Dean Lewis Epilogue tour are on sale here.