The dark web, 45 songs and years of leaks: Ariana Grande’s shocking lawsuit explained

New Delhi: The Grammy-winning artist, Ariana Grande, has taken a legal route after her unreleased songs and footage from recording sessions and music videos were leaked.

She filed a lawsuit on Monday (July 27) in Los Angeles and claimed that anonymous hackers stole her unreleased music, photos, and video footage that are "part of her personal and professional creative process and that are not intended for public consumption.”

What's in the lawsuit?

In the lawsuit, Ariana Grande alleged that the group of unnamed John Does targeted her photographs and producers to gain access to the materials and sold them on the "dark web" for a large sum of money, according to Billboard.

She also accused them of phishing scams and hacking schemes that have caused "unlawful and egregious theft, dissemination, and exploitation of unreleased content, according to Variety.

Grande further accused the hackers of "violating the sacred relationship that exists between her and her fans”. She is suing them for invasion of privacy, violation of California computer hacking laws, and conversion.

Her lawyers stated that the "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.”

Grande is likely to seek court approval to issue subpoenas to uncover the identities of the hackers behind the attacks through internet service providers and online platforms.

"Ms Grande initiates this action to uncover the identities of these currently unknown and unscrupulous individuals in order to hold them accountable for their invasive and reprehensible conduct," her lawyers said.

The lawsuit also claims that the leaks have been ongoing for years and she has been hit with "hundreds" of such leaks since 2011. The lawsuit stated that in 2019, a swath of "still-in-production released masters and demos and footage”, was stolen. In 2023, 45 of her songs were swiped. In 2024, unreleased photos of Grande were stolen in phishing scams.

"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. It is imperative to Ms Grande to ensure on behalf of herself and others that such conduct is deterred to the fullest extent possible," her lawyers stated.

Who is Ariana Grande?

Ariana Grande is an American singer, songwriter and actress who rose to fame as a teenager before becoming one of the world's biggest pop stars. She first gained idespread recognition by playing Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon TV shows Victorious (2010–2013) and Sam & Cat (2013–2014).

She made her debut in the music industry in 2013 with album 'Yours Truly'. Since then, she has given several hits, including 'My Everything', 'Dangerous Woman', 'Sweetener', 'Thank U, Next', 'Positions', 'We Can't Be Friends, and 'Eternal Sunshine', among others.

In 2024, she starred as Glinda in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked. She reprised the role in the sequel Wicked: For Good.

Grande has won multiple major awards, including Grammy Awards, Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, and MTV Video Music Awards.