Enrique Iglesias Sued by Two Miami Musicians Who Claim They Wrote "Bailando"

It was the song that blew up the radio last summer, earned Enrique Iglesias three Latin Grammy awards, including Song of the Year for 2014, and made Cuba's Gente de Zona and Descemer Bueno international estrellas. But now there are two Miami musicians suing Iglesias, Gente de Zona, Descemer Bueno,...

By Laurie Charles

January 30, 2015

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It was the song that blew up the radio last summer, earned Enrique Iglesias three Latin Grammy awards, including Song of the Year for 2014, and made Cuba's Gente de Zona and Descemer Bueno international estrellas.

But now there are two Miami musicians suing Iglesias, Gente de Zona, Descemer Bueno, Universal International Music, Universal Music Publishing, EMI April Music, and Sony/ATV Tunes for copyright infringement.

South Florida's Cristian Mauricio Escuti and German Schulz filed a lawsuit on January 26 with the U.S. District Court in Miami alleging that the 2014 smash hit "Bailando" copies their original song "Quiero Bailar Contigo," which was recorded in 2009.

According to the lawsuit, Escuti and Schulz submitted their work to the Miami offices of Sony Music in 2012. After several follow-up attempts, they never heard back from Sony, the lawsuit claims.

All was quiet until May 2014, when the two heard Iglesias' "Bailando." That's when they realized the song "incorporated chorus lines, melody, lyrics, and rhythm from their 'Quiero Bailar Contigo' original work."

With Iglesias' song having become one of the Sex and Love superstar's most popular and successful songs to date (and his first Spanish song to reach the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100), Escuti and Schulz want in on some of the action.

They're seeking damages and demanding a chunk of the profits, which, according to the lawsuit, amounts to "$150,000 for each work infringed."

But the two only registered for copyright of their song on April 27, 2014, five years after it was recorded and around the same time "Bailando" made its debut. And the single was released by Republic Records, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.

This isn't the first time "Bailando" has faced accusations of creative theft. Last year, Peruvian singer and composer Sergio Pelo D'ambrosio reported that the song stole the intro to his 2009 single "Lejos de Ti." No legal action was taken.

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