In brief
In a Los Angeles court filing, Ariana Grande has sued two anonymous hackers whom she alleges stole and leaked dozens of unreleased tracks and behind‑the‑scene footage. The claim states that in 2023 alone 45 of her songs were hacked, stolen and posted on the dark web for lucrative sums. Grande's lawyers argue that the intrusion violated privacy, California computer hacking laws and has caused irreparable harm to her career. The suit comes as the singer prepares to launch her eighth studio album and continues her world tour.
Ariana Grande has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles against two unnamed hackers who, she claims, hacked her collaborators’ computers to steal and leak unreleased music and video footage.
According to court papers, the singer alleged that the attackers targeted photographers and producers in order to obtain material that “was sold on the dark web for significant sums of money.”
She states that in 2023 alone, 45 of her unreleased songs were hacked, stolen and leaked. The suit also claims that similar breaches have occurred since her 2011 debut.
The lawsuit seeks to uncover the identity of the hackers and claims their actions violated her privacy, California computer‑hacking laws and caused substantial and irreparable damage to her career.
Grande has previously spoken publicly about her determination to hold leakers accountable. In a 2024 interview with the Zach Sang show, she described a song called “Fantasize,” written with Swedish producer Max Martin, that was stolen and circulated online.
She added, “Those were all written for a TV show, for something that was not for me, so Fantasize comes out, crazy, was stolen… These pirates, crooks, illegal!”
The court filing follows her announcement of her eighth studio album, Petal, due to release this Friday. It comes amid her ongoing world tour, which will take her to the UK in August.
Grande hinted earlier that the concerts may be her last “for a long time.” She told Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast, “I’m going to give it my all and it’s going to be beautiful. I think that’s why I’m doing it because I’m like: ‘One last hurrah’ – for now.”
Her legal team argues that the hackers’ “malicious invasion of Ms. Grande’s privacy and disruption of her career” has led to immeasurable harm. The suit could set a precedent for artists protecting their unreleased work in the digital age.
