It seems Adele will face the music for alleged plagiarism as a judge in Brazil orders a worldwide ban on one of the pop star’s songs.
Adele’s song “Million Years Ago” must be pulled from global platforms — including streaming services — judge Victor Torres ordered in an injunction filed Friday in Rio De Janiero’s sixth commercial court, the Agence France Presse reported. The order reportedly threatens the Brazilian branches of Adele’s labels, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music, with an $8,000 fine for each “act of non-compliance.”
Torres ordered the labels to stop “immediately and globally, from using, reproducing, editing, distributing or commercializing” the ballad from Adele’s 2015 album “25,” which has been accused of lifting from the samba classic “Mulheres,” performed by Martinho Da Vila. The Brazilian song was written by composer Toninho Geraes, who sued Adele for plagiarism in 2021, according to Brazilian outlet Veja Magazine. Adele and music producer Greg Kurstin co-wrote “Million Years Ago.”
A representative for Adele did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Torres filed the injunction pending the ongoing plagiarism case, according to AFP. Geraes’ attorney Fredimio Trotta told AFP he condemns the “parasitic use” of Brazilian music and that his firm will work to ensure that Adele’s song is kept off radio, TV, streaming services and other platforms worldwide.
Adele’s “Million Years Ago” also faced scrutiny in 2015 from fans of late Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya. Listeners drew comparisons and found similarities between Kaya’s 1985 song “Acilara Tutunmak” and the Adele track amid its release, NME reported at the time. A legal battle never spawned from the alleged plagiarism.
The order to ban Adele’s “Million Years Ago” lands weeks after she wrapped her blockbuster, multiyear Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. While she said she will miss her “Weekends With Adele” shows “terribly,” the 16-time Grammy winner said earlier this year she’s more than ready for a break.
“I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself,” she said in a September show in Germany, “and I want to live it now.”