Music

Bad Bunny’s Ex Files $40M Suit Over Voice Recording

‘SHE FELT CHEATED’

Carliz De La Cruz Hernández says her famous phrase was used without her permission.

Bad Bunny performs during the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 5, 2023.
Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend is suing him for $40 million for allegedly using one of her voice recordings in his work without her authorization. The voice memo of Carliz De La Cruz Hernández saying “Bad Bunny, baby” was used in the songs “Pa Ti” and “Dos Mil 16,” and the phrase itself—which De La Cruz claims to have coined—has allegedly been used without her permission in other media. The lawsuit filed in a Puerto Rico court last month claims De La Cruz has received thousands of comments about the line online and in public. “This has caused, and currently causes, De La Cruz to feel worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious,” a translation of the filing reads. The suit also alleges that De La Cruz rejected a $2,000 offer to buy the recording from her and that a contract was sent to her the day before the release of Un Verano Sin Ti that was “excessively comprehensive, so she felt cheated.”

Read it at Pitchfork