Ariana Grande has filed a lawsuit against hackers who she alleges have stolen unreleased music, as well as private photos and video footage, and sold them online.
Grande filed the lawsuit in a Los Angeles court on Monday. It doesn’t name the hackers, who are referred to with the generic name John Doe. Grande will look to have them identified during the legal process “in order to hold them accountable for their invasive and reprehensible conduct”, the lawsuit reads.
As reported by Billboard, the Hollywood Reporter and more, it is alleged that the hackers accessed the online accounts of various people working with Grande, leading to the leaking of ۴۵ songs in ۲۰۲۳ alone. In one instance, Grande alleges a hacker impersonated a photographer to dupe an employee into sending images of Grande to them. Behind-the-scenes photos and footage from recording sessions and music videos are also alleged to have been stolen. The assets are alleged to have been sold on the dark web.
“This malicious invasion of Ms Grande’s privacy and disruption of her career have caused her substantial and irreparable harm due to this breach of privacy,” the lawsuit reads. “The unauthorised misappropriation and disclosure of these materials is a violation of Ms Grande’s identity and artistry, and the direct and sacred relationship that exists between her and her fans … Neither Ms Grande nor any other public or private figure should have to suffer such violations caused by these wrongdoers who hide in the shadows and wreak technological havoc with impunity.”
After seven albums which have all reached No ۱ or No ۲ in the US charts, as well as being a ۲۰-time Grammy nominee and three-time winner, Grande remains one of the most successful pop artists in the world. Her single Hate That I Made You Love Me is currently the third most-streamed song globally on Spotify each day, and a chart-topper in the US and UK. It is taken from her new album Petal, released on Friday.
She has also successfully branched out into acting in recent years, taking a lead role in Wicked and its sequel Wicked: For Good, and also opposite Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller in the latest instalment of the Meet the Parents franchise, Focker-in-Law, released in November. In ۲۰۲۷, she will appear alongside her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in a stage production of Sondheim musical Sunday in the Park with George, at London’s Barbican.
She begins a ۱۰-night run of concerts at London’s O۲ Arena on ۱۵ August.
