Stella Lefty is facing a new round of plagiarism allegations, with listeners now drawing comparisons between her song “Misery” and The Greatest Showman track “A Million Dreams”.
The latest debate began brewing in YouTube comments before spreading across social media over the weekend. No legal claim has been publicly reported, and similarities identified by listeners are not proof that a song was copied. Still, it’s the latest in a growing list of Lefty tracks to come under scrutiny online.
Here’s a look at the songs that have prompted comparisons so far.
The first major one centred on “Boston”, Lefty’s breakout hit. Listeners heard similarities with Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season”, and Kahan is now credited as a co-writer on Lefty’s track. Reports said Kahan’s team contacted Lefty’s camp before the song’s official release.
@jarredjermaine People really can’t hear the similarities in Stella Lefty “Boston” & Noah Kahan “Stick Season”? #stellalefty #noahkahan #boston #music ♬ original sound – jarred jermaine
Lefty addressed the situation in a Vanity Fair interview, saying, “When I was writing the song, I wasn’t thinking about Noah Kahan. I was literally thinking about nothing at all. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes, so I’m like, if this sounds like that, whatever, all good.”
Fans have since combed through Lefty’s socials finding several videos of her covering “Stick Season” on her TikTok.
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@elyse9438 I recently figured out her and Ella Langley were not the same person #stellalefty #noahkahan #stickseason #cover #fyp ♬ original sound – elyse
Next up was “Summer You Were Mine”, which fans noticed contained similarities to The Chicks’ 1998 song “There’s Your Trouble”. This case has a clearer explanation. The song was an approved interpolation, meaning it reworks a recognisable element of an existing song rather than directly sampling its recording.
@theexhaustedmillennial There’s your trouble #stellalefty #thechicks #soundslike ♬ Summer You Were Mine – STELLA LEFTY
The Chicks songwriters Tia Sillers and Mark Selby were initially absent from streaming credits, but Lefty’s label Atlantic Records told Rolling Stone that this was due to a “streaming platform error”. Their names have since been added.
Some comments think that Lefty’s release is actually similar to another song – “Soak Up the Sun” by Sheryl Crowe, but this is all speculation thus far.
Then came “Why Wouldn’t We”, from Lefty’s album Long Way Home. Listeners compared it with Blake Shelton’s 2017 single “I’ll Name The Dogs”, pointing to similarities in melody and lyrics about sharing the domestic load in a relationship.
One TikTok commenter wrote, “Honestly it’s not just the melody, even the lyrics are essentially the same.”
Neither Shelton nor the song’s writers, Matt Dragstrem, Ben Hayslip and Josh Thompson, have publicly addressed the comparison since reports emerged. They are also not credited on “Why Wouldn’t We”, which lists Lefty, Emily Weisband, Grady Block and Steph Jones as writers.
@saucyliledits0 please don’t send me a cease and desist #stellalefty #blakeshelton #boston #stickseason ♬ original sound – meep moop
Now, listeners are comparing “Misery” with The Greatest Showman‘s “A Million Dreams”. One TikTok comment responding to the side-by-side clips read: “Jesus this is worse than the ‘Stick Season’ one”.
“Misery” is credited to Lefty, Madi Yanofsky and Phil Cook. “A Million Dreams” was written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, with Rob Mathes credited as arranger, none are currently listed on “Misery”. For now, it remains another fan-led allegation. Whether anyone involved responds is another matter entirely.
@captaincontext This is another song fans think Stella Lefty stole😳😲🙊 Do you agree? #stellalefty #noahkahan #thegreatestshowman #fyp #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Captain Context
Stella Lefty will be coming Down Under for Strummingbird festival next month, joining Bailey Zimmerman, Cooper Alan, Dexter & the Moonrocks, Brad Cox, Max Jackson, Sara Berki, and more on a lineup led by Tyler Childers, Sam Barber, and James Johnston.
PEDESTRIAN.TV reached out to Stella Lefty for comment.
From PEDESTRIAN.TV
