Beyoncé and her label, Parkwood Entertainment, are facing legal drama after producer Shuji Hirose and Hirose Enterprise filed a copyright infringement lawsuit claiming that the opening spoken-word sample on her hit track “Alien Superstar” from the critically acclaimed 2022 album Renaissance, was used without proper clearance.
The iconic intro, which instructs listeners, “Please do not be alarmed, remain calm. Do not attempt to leave the dancefloor,” originates from the 1998 house track “Moonraker” by artist John Holiday. While Beyoncé’s team actually went out of their way to properly license the snippet directly from Holiday prior to the album release—giving him a songwriting credit, a $10,000 payout, and 0.5% in royalties—the plaintiffs claim Holiday didn’t actually have the rights to hand over. According to court filings, Hirose Enterprise alleges that Holiday transferred his ownership of the song decades ago, making their permission required to use the iconic line.
This isn’t the first time the claim has surfaced, but the saga took a wild turn in court. A federal judge previously tossed a version of the case on a bizarre technicality, pointing out that Hirose Enterprise didn’t even legally exist as a registered LLC on the exact date they filed the paperwork. U.S. District Judge Mark C. Scarsi even had some fun with the ruling, quoting the song itself in his opinion: “Please do not be alarmed, remain calm: like the DJ booth referenced in the works at issue, this district judge must conduct a troubleshoot test of the entire system, that is, a jurisdictional inquiry, before reaching any of the parties’ merits arguments.”
Despite that initial dismissal, the plaintiffs are still pursuing legal action and attempting to freeze profits or force a settlement from Parkwood and affiliated record labels. Hirose’s legal team made it clear they aren’t backing down without a fight, stating, “While my client is disappointed with the court’s ruling, it is not discouraged. My client will continue its pursuit against Parkwood and Ms. Knowles-Carter until their wrongs have been addressed and rectified.”