Shaira’s track “Selos” has been taken down from various online streaming platforms due to copyright concerns that have emerged.
AHS Channel, the agency representing the Queen of Bangsamoro Pop, announced that the song was voluntarily removed while legal arrangements are being sorted out regarding its publication.
“We have decided to remove it from all platforms until we finalize our agreement with the original artist’s management for obtaining a cover license for ‘Selos,'” stated the agency in a Facebook post. “Selos” borrowed the melody from Australian singer-songwriter Lenka’s 2008 pop hit “Trouble is a Friend.”
The decision to remove Shaira’s song stemmed from a copyright claim since it utilized Lenka’s song as a sample and presented it as an original work without authorization from the artist. It’s crucial to secure a license and provide proper credits to the artist and song publishers when using samples to avoid copyright infringement.
Lenka confirmed legal actions were underway regarding “Selos” in response to a fan’s comment on her Instagram post on March 8.
Shaira’s agency mentioned ongoing discussions with Lenka’s team to officially label it as a cover and expressed appreciation to fans for the unexpected success of the song. “We are truly grateful to those who enjoyed Shaira’s cover, and we look forward to your continued support when we re-release the song,” the agency stated.
The agency also hinted at Shaira’s upcoming original music releases and hoped for the same level of support from fans.
Originally posted on AHS Productions’ YouTube channel on December 2, 2023, the “Selos” music video gained immense popularity, charting on Spotify and accumulating over 9.3 million views on YouTube at present.