The viral parody song “Selos” by native singer from Mindanao Shaira has been completely removed from all music streaming platforms after facing copyright issues with the track’s original singer.
Selos went viral on TikTok, with a music video exceeding nine million views on YouTube. The video includes a disclaimer stating it’s “a work of parody” and is only “intended for entertainment purposes” and “not affiliated with the original creators”.
The song’s removal was confirmed by AHS Productions, the agency representing the rising Moro singer who was dubbed the “Queen of Bangsamoro Pop” due to her singing prowess.
According to a statement released on their official Facebook page, they voluntarily removed the song from all music streaming services while they await the resolution of their agreement with the original artist regarding licensing for the cover of the song.
“We have chosen to take it down from all platforms pending our agreement with the original artist’s management on securing a cover license for “Selos”,” the agency announced.
It was also confirmed that the melody in the song was derived from a track titled “Trouble is a Friend” by Australian singer-songwriter and actress Lenka which was released in 2008.
A netizen called out the Australian artist’s attention in a comment section about the similarities of the two songs which the latter acknowledged and has since taken legal action about the issue.
The Bangsamoro track had been taken down from music streaming platforms after the said exchange.
“As most of you may know, the melody that we have used is originally from a song entitled “Trouble is a Friend” by Lenka and as of the moment, we are already in contact with her team for us to make “Selos” an official cover,” AHS Productions affirmed.
The agency added, “To those who have been entertained by Shaira’s cover song, we are truly grateful to you for opening your hearts to a song that we once only made public for the sake of entertainment.”
“We certainly did not expect that it will become this big to a point where Shaira will be known as the “Queen of Bangsamoro Pop”. We could not be prouder.”
AHS Productions expressed confidence that once the song has been re-uploaded, fans will still feel the same love and acceptance from many Filipinos for their music. It also teased it’s singer’s upcoming release of her “original” music in their post’s comment section.
Meanwhile, Shaira’s other songs, such as “Forever Single,” are also gradually gaining popularity as it is still available to play on online music services.
