Tulisa opened up about her five-year legal battle with will.i.am and where she stands with the producer after she successfully sued him for stealing her single, Scream & Shout.
In 2018, the I’m A Celebrity star won a lawsuit maintaining that she co-wrote will.i.am and Britney Spears’ chart-topping song – which was released in November 2012 and went on to become Britney’s first UK number one in eight years – and had planned to feature it on her debut album.
Tulisa’s victory saw her awarded 10 percent of the worldwide publishing rights and income from the song.
Reflecting on the legal battle during an appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, she explained the shock way the legal battle unfolded as well as the three words she said to him when they bumped into each other after she won the court case.
Asked where the pair stand now, Tulisa explained: ‘I’ve seen him out and just been like “you alright mate?” I’m not a**ed. I’ve been paid, my name’s on the record. It is what it is.’
Revealing how the drama began Tulisa shared: ‘I got a call from will.i.am saying “listen, I want to take this record, will you give it to me? Basically trying to do everything legitimately. “I want to put Britney on it, I want to release it around the world it’ll be amazing for you as a writer,” and I said no.’
Tulisa opened up about her five-year legal battle with will.i.am and where she stands with the producer during an appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast last month
will.i.am (pictured last year) asked Tulisa if he could take her song and release it with Britney Spears and despite her saying no the producer ended up releasing it anyway
Tulisa had penned the song under the title I Don’t Give A F**k for her album The Female Boss, and had planned to use it as a follow up to her song, Young.
Revealing how she learnt that the song had been taken from her, she continued: ‘I was just casually sitting at home and there it was on the telly!
‘Britney’s just singing, I’m like is that my voice on the record that she’s singing over? You know when you hear this “in the club all eyes on us, all eyes on us”, you can you can hear it.
‘My vocals are on the record, so she’s singing on top of me. That’s why she’s got the British accent. I was just like what the hell is this?’
Tulisa then learnt that not only had she been shut out of recording the track but that the songwriting had been credited to will.i.am, Jef Martens and Jean Baptiste.
The former X Factor judge continued: ‘So yeah I started the long process of another legal case which you know amazingly thankfully turned out in my favour.
‘Actually now I don’t complain about it because royalties are good. will was initially right when he was saying to me, “this would be huge for you, you can make so much money out of it… it can be number one… someone like Britney can do that.”
‘But at the time I was just hard-headed and I was like no it’s my single I don’t care about the bigger picture, it’s my song, I’m not not giving it to anyone.’
will.i.am and Britney Spears’ chart-topping song Scream & Shout was released in November 2012 and went on to become Britney’s first UK number one in eight years
Asked if she wished will.i.am would have told her his plan to take the track, Tulisa confessed: ‘Of course! I don’t know, it is what it is.
‘He should have just put my name down on the publishing to make sure that I was going to get paid either way, rather than going the long winded way around it.
‘Like of course I’m going to sue you bro! But he went about how he did. At the end of the day it’s something that I’m proud of doing now so bad blood.’
Black Eyed Peas star will.i.am admitted at the time of the fallout over the track: ‘Tulisa wrote to that song before I did – this is the truth. But the producers of the beat… didn’t want her to have it.’
Tulisa insisted that Will.i.am and Britney’s version still included parts she had written including the line: ‘When you hear this in the club, you’d better turn this s**t up.’
She also clarified: ‘Britney has nothing to do with this situation. She probably didn’t even know who Tulisa was until a story came out that X amount of the record has now gone to me.’
A source previously told MailOnline: ‘Tulisa was annoyed when the song was taken from her and given to Britney – especially as she co-wrote it.
‘It was set to be one of the big songs on her debut album. She didn’t let it lie, and took it all the way to the courts and has now won. She just wanted to be recognised as the writer of one of the biggest pop tracks of the last decade.’
Asked where the pair stand now, Tulisa explained: ‘I’ve seen him out and just been like “you alright mate?” I’m not arsed. I’ve been paid, my name’s on the record. It is what it is’
Tulisa found fame in 2009 with MOBO-winning band N-Dubz alongside cousin Dappy and bandmate Fazer.
Her stardom continued to rise as she was chosen for the X Factor judging panel in 2011 and 2012, becoming the first judge to win the groups section with Little Mix.
But things started to go downhill when the songstress was accused of arranging for journalist Mazher Mahmood to be sold £800 of cocaine by one of her contacts following an elaborate sting for The Sun on Sunday in May 2013.
However, the journalist, dubbed the ‘Fake Sheikh’, was sentenced to 15 months in jail for perverting the course of justice during her drugs trial in 2014, and the case collapsed.
Tulisa, who is currently on I’m A Celebrity, opened up about the court case during her time in the Jungle, admitting her life ‘fell apart’.
Recalling the traumatic event, the singer said: ‘2013 was the year I was set up by a British newspaper, for concern in the selling of class A drugs.
‘The guy’s name was Mahmood and basically, I was approached by a big movie company and they sent me a tweet or a DM from their official account to audition me for a movie role.
‘I’d dabbled in acting, so this opportunity for me was huge.’
Tulisa is currently on I’m A Celeb and revealed how her life ‘fell apart’ in 2013, after she was set up in an elaborate drugs sting and arrested on suspicion of supplying class A drugs
Tulisa was accused of arranging for a journalist to be sold £800 of cocaine by one of her contacts following an elaborate sting for The Sun on Sunday in May 2013 (pictured in 2014)
Tulisa revealed she was offered £3.5million for the role with promises she would star alongside Leonardo DiCaprio. She was flown out to Las Vegas for meetings with producers.
She said: ‘They flew me out to Las Vegas, first class flights, limousines and 5 star hotels.’
When Oti Mabuse asked if the film project was real, Tulisa said: ‘Oh no, I found out it was a lie.’
Tulisa said she was encouraged to behave like how the ‘girl in the role’ would to ensure she could play the part.
She said: ‘So I was told, as I wasn’t an actress, I was less likely to get the role and the only reason I would get it is if I was the girl in the role, and the girl in the role was this bad girl from London who was constantly up to naughtiness, rolling with gangs, up to all kinds of naughty stuff.’
Tulisa said Mazher had her ‘dangling at the end of a string’ with the meetings being ‘dragged out for months’.
She said every time she met up with them, they’d say to her: ‘We need some drugs.’
Tulisa said: ‘After months and months, eventually they got a number and it was of someone that wasn’t even a drug dealer, it was an aspiring movie producer and I wanted to make a hook up as well for that person, but I didn’t know anyone that could do that.
‘The long story short is they ended up ordering £800’s worth of cocaine from the number that I had given them. Then before I knew it, I was being arrested in the concern of the selling of Class A drugs and I was facing four years in prison.
‘I lost all my endorsements… my life fell apart.’
The journalist Mazher Mahmood, dubbed the ‘Fake Sheikh’, was sentenced to 15 months in jail for perverting the course of justice during her drugs trial in 2014, and the case collapsed
Tulisa was arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs and faced trial at Southwark Crown Court. The singer feared she would be sentenced to four years in prison.
She told Oti: ‘When it came to the trial, I’d had a conversation with one of their drivers, I was being recorded but I didn’t know, I was saying how anti-drugs I am, so they were very aware of my feelings towards drugs.’
Tulisa said the driver initially gave a statement confirming she was anti-drugs.
She said she thought: ‘That was it, I’m done for, I’m going down.’
But Tulisa said she prayed that night and the driver went to her lawyers and confided in them what had happened.
The case against Tulisa collapsed when it was alleged undercover reporter Mazher had attempted to suppress evidence from his driver.
She said: ‘The case fell apart… the friend I had was free, I was free, [Mahmood] was charged with perverting the course of justice and he was facing the same amount of time that I was facing and he ended up going to prison.’
I’M A CELEBRITY 2024: MEET THE ALL STAR LINE UP
OTI MABUSE
Oti Mabuse has already two Strictly glitterballs under her belt
AGE: 34
OCCUPATION: Professional dancer
FAMOUS FOR: Oti is best known for being a professional dancer on the British television series Strictly Come Dancing, which she won in 2019 and 2020.
DANNY JONES
Danny Jones is one of the bookies’ favourites to win this year’s I’m A Celeb
AGE: 38
OCCUPATION: McFly singer
FAMOUS FOR: Danny is one of the lead vocalists and the lead guitarist for pop-rock band McFly.
He is also a coach on The Voice UK.
BARRY MCGUIGAN
Former boxer Barry McGuigan is heading into the jungle
AGE: 63
OCCUPATION: Retired professional boxer
FAMOUS FOR: Barry was nicknamed The Clones Cyclone and held the WBA and lineal featherweight titles from 1985 to 1986.
GK BARRY
GK Barry is a TikTok star who recently joined the ITV family on Loose Women
AGE: 25
OCCUPATION: TikTok star
FAMOUS FOR: Grace is known for her comedic commentary on culture, lifestyle, and fashion. She has over 3.6 million followers and recently joined the Loose Women panel.
DEAN MCCULLOUGH
ITV bosses are hoping Dean McCullough will ruffle feathers in the camp
AGE: 32
OCCUPATION: Radio 1 DJ
FAMOUS FOR: Radio 1 DJ Dean has been signed by I’m A Celeb bosses, in the hope that he will ruffle feathers with his outspoken views.
Earlier this year it was announced Dean would be taking over the BBC Radio 1 Early Breakfast Show, after previously fronting the afternoon slot.
JANE MOORE
Jane is best known as a panellist and anchor of Loose Women
AGE: 62
OCCUPATION: Journalist
FAMOUS FOR: Jane is best known as a panellist and anchor of Loose Women between 1999 and 2002.
She returned as a regular panellist from 2013 onwards.
Jane takes on the challenge following her high-profile split from husband of 20 years, Showbiz agent, Gary Farrow.
MELVIN ODOOM
Melvin was previously courted by I’m A Celeb bosses back in 2021
AGE: 44
OCCUPATION: DJ and TV presenter
FAMOUS FOR: His work on radio. Melvin was previously courted by I’m A Celeb bosses back in 2021, but turned down the offer at the last minute.
He also had a primetime stint on Strictly back in 2016.
COLEEN ROONEY
Reports claim that she has been offered the biggest deal in the show’s history
AGE: 38
OCCUPATION: WAG
FAMOUS FOR: Wagatha Christie case against arch rival Rebekah Vardy.
Reports claim that she has been offered the biggest deal in the show’s history, exceeding Nigel Farage’s £1.5million from last year.
ALAN HALSALL
Alan Halsall is best known for his role as Tyrone Dobbs on Coronation Street
AGE: 42
OCCUPATION: Actor
FAMOUS FOR: Coronation Street actor Alan Halsall was forced to withdraw from I’m A Celeb last year, after undergoing ACL Reconstruction surgery.
Bosses have now convinced the actor to sign up again, and no doubt he will draw in a huge fanbase thanks to his long-running role as Tyrone Dobbs on the soap.
TULISA
Tulisa is making her career comeback after reuniting with N-Dubz last year
AGE: 36
OCCUPATION: Singer and former X Factor judge
FAMOUS FOR: Tulisa reunited with N-Dubz last year for a tour after first finding fame with the band in 2007.
In 2011, she became a judge on The X Factor and went on to launch her debut solo album, The Female Boss.
She released her fourth album with N-Dubz last year.
REVEREND RICHARD COLES
Richard is an English writer, radio presenter and Church of England priest
AGE: 62
OCCUPATION: Writer, broadcaster and priest
FAMOUS FOR: Richard is an English writer, radio presenter and Church of England priest.
He first came to prominence as the multi-instrumentalist who partnered Jimmy Somerville in the 1980s band the Communards.
MAURA HIGGINS
Maura is best known for her stint on Love Island UK in 2019
AGE: 33
OCCUPATION: TV Personality
FAMOUS FOR: Maura is an Irish television personality, television presenter and model.
She rose to prominence in 2019, when she was a finalist on the fifth series of ITV2 reality series Love Island.