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Monika Miczura Juhasz, known as Mitsou, says in the new Manhattan civil suit that Beyoncé recorded her voice in 1995 while she was singing a traditional Roma folk song she learned from her grandmother.
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The sampling is used “to evoke foreign eroticism alongside the sexually intense lyrics performed by Beyoncé and Jay Z in ‘Drunk in Love,’ ” the suit says.
The single was nominated for a Grammy and is part of the No. 1 Billboard album “Beyonce,” and its video won Best Collaboration at the MTV Video Music Awards.
“In the video, Mitsou’s solo vocal introduction follows 57 seconds of a cinematic, intimate scene of beach at night,” according to the filing. The video’s been viewed 236 million times on YouTube, the suit says.
Mitsou calls herself “an internationally acclaimed Hungarian Roma singer” who was discovered at age 17 and has toured the globe, appearing at festivals and other venues.
Mitsou says she first learned that Beyoncé had stolen her voice when friends started calling her after hearing the “a capella solo” for the first 13 seconds of the song.
“Following Mitsou’s stirring featured solo vocal introduction, Mitsou’s voice continues to sing as Beyoncé begins to sing,” the suit says.
The sampling continues with Jay Z rapping alongside the Hungarian for 51 seconds, according to court papers.
“All together, Mitsou’s vocals are featured for over one and half minutes of the five and one half minute song,” the suit says. The original recording of the traditional Roma song, called “Bajba, Bajba Pelem,” was released under the title “Gypsy Life on the Road” by North Pacific Records in 1997.
“Mitsou has never signed any documents that would permit anyone to use her voice for advertising or trade purposes,” the suit says.
She’s seeking unspecified damages.
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