Beyoncé is being taken to court over an allegedly unauthorized sample used in her hit song “Alien Superstar.” The lawsuit comes from a company called Hirose Enterprise and a producer named Shuji Hirose, who claim the singer used their spoken-word material without permission.
The legal action targets the 2022 track from Beyoncé’s critically acclaimed album Renaissance. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction to stop the singer from making money off the song and are asking for unspecified damages.
What the Lawsuit Claims
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Hirose Enterprise says it owns the rights to a song called “Moonraker,” which was performed by musician John Holiday. The company alleges that Beyoncé used the “spoken-word introduction” from this track in “Alien Superstar”.
The spoken passage in question is the opening of “Alien Superstar,” which tells listeners:
“Please do not be alarmed, remain calm. Do not attempt to leave the dancefloor. The DJ booth is conducting a troubleshoot test of the entire system.”
The lawsuit claims that Beyoncé and her team did not obtain a license for the sample before releasing the album. While they did secure a license weeks after the album came out, they reportedly only got it from the performer John Holiday.
Hirose Enterprise argues that Holiday had transferred his entire interest in the song decades earlier, meaning he was not in a position to grant permission. The company says it put Beyoncé’s team on notice about the infringement, but the record continued to be sold without any changes.
A Previous Lawsuit Was Dismissed
This is not the first legal action involving this sample. A similar lawsuit was filed in 2025 but was dismissed by a US federal court in June 2026.
That earlier case did not address the copyright question directly. The court threw it out on procedural grounds because the company that filed the lawsuit did not exist at the time of filing. Hirose Enterprises was only established on August 6, 2025. Whether the new lawsuit will proceed to a full hearing on the copyright claims remains to be seen.
The Song and the Album in Question
“Alien Superstar” is a track from Beyoncé’s seventh studio album Renaissance, which came out in 2022. The dance-heavy album features 16 tracks and marked a shift toward house, dance, and disco influences.
At the time of the album’s release, Beyoncé spoke about the creative process behind the project. She wrote on Instagram:
“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving.”
She added that her intention was to create a safe space “without judgment” and “a place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking”.
The album was followed by the Renaissance World Tour, which concluded in October 2023. The tour temporarily held the record as the highest-grossing tour by a female artist, though that record was later broken by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
What the Plaintiffs Are Asking For
Hirose Enterprise and Shuji Hirose are seeking two main outcomes from the lawsuit:
- An injunction to stop Beyoncé from continuing to profit from the allegedly infringing material
- Unspecified financial damages
The company claims that despite being notified of the infringement, Beyoncé’s team continued to sell and distribute Renaissance without altering the track.
Background on the Original Work
The song “Moonraker” is a house track released in 1998 by John Holiday, who performed under the name Foremost Poets. The spoken-word introduction that appears in “Alien Superstar” is taken from this track.
Hirose Enterprise claims to hold the rights to “Moonraker” and argues that Holiday was not authorized to grant a license because he had transferred his rights decades ago.
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What This Means for the Song
The lawsuit has not yet been tested in court. The claims represent the plaintiffs’ side of the story rather than a legal finding of copyright infringement.
If the court grants the injunction, Beyoncé could be prevented from earning money from “Alien Superstar” while the case proceeds. However, the song has been available on streaming platforms and in physical formats since 2022, and it remains to be seen how the legal process will unfold.
Beyoncé’s representatives have been contacted for comment. The singer, who is 44 years old, has not publicly responded to the lawsuit.
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