Jason Derulo testified in a Los Angeles federal court on April 30, denying that session musician Matthew Spatola deserves writing and production credits for the 2020 hit 'Savage Love.' Derulo insisted Spatola created nothing original during two recording sessions. Jurors are set to deliberate next week.
Jason Derulo took the witness stand in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom on Thursday, April 30, to rebut claims by guitarist and producer Matthew Spatola. Spatola alleges he contributed key creative elements to the instrumentals on 'Savage Love,' a viral TikTok hit from August 2020 that sampled New Zealand producer Jawsh 685's 'Laxed – Siren Beat' and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after a BTS remix. Derulo and his label, Columbia Records, face the lawsuit filed in 2023, which began trial on April 22. It is undisputed that Spatola was paid $2,000 for two three-hour sessions in April 2020 but never signed a work-for-hire agreement confirming no authorship rights. Derulo testified that Spatola 'played a beautiful guitar and bass' but followed his directions precisely. 'Mr. Spatola created absolutely nothing on “Savage Love,”' Derulo told the jury, adding he had never met Spatola before inviting him to his home studio and would not collaborate creatively with an unknown musician. 'I would never in a million years just invite somebody off the street... to come in and be a producer for me,' he said. Spatola's lawyer, Thomas Werge, argued in opening statements that Derulo could not have sung guitar chords to dictate the parts, as a voice produces one note at a time. Werge claimed Spatola wrote a pre-hook and elevated the instrumental foundation. Derulo's lawyer countered that Derulo invested about 60 hours developing the track versus Spatola's six hours, with Jawsh 685 receiving half the publishing share. Derulo is set to return to the stand on Friday, with cross-examination expected Tuesday after his Met Gala appearance Monday. Jurors are slated to begin deliberations next week.
