Resolve Dispute Over ‘Defe Defe’ Amicably, Urges Joe Mettle to Team Eternity and Kwame Mickey

Renowned gospel artist Joe Mettle has urged the dynamic gospel music group, Team Eternity Ghana, and Kwame Mickey, the executive producer for Hallelujah Voices, to amicably resolve the copyright infringement dispute over the song ‘Defe Defe.’

Team Eternity Ghana’s “Defe Defe” has topped social media charts, garnering over two million views on YouTube since its release on May 1, 2024. However, Kwame Mickey alleges that the group unlawfully sampled Hallelujah Voices’ 2004 song of the same name, written by Osuani Afrifa and produced by Kaakyire Music Productions. Mickey has threatened legal action if Team Eternity Ghana fails to acknowledge the original creators of the song.

In an interview on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show, Joe Mettle urged both parties to resolve the issue amicably, emphasizing that the alleged infringement involved only a sample.

He stressed the importance of registering songs and using proper publishing platforms to avoid similar controversies. Mettle stated, “I think that when songs are released, they must be registered and put on proper publishing platforms. This helps if somebody samples or does anything; the system will pick it from the source, and there will be no problem. Part of the reason we are losing a lot of old songs is that some songs should not die—they need to be re-recorded.”

He added, “I also understand that permission needs to be sought, but sometimes it’s difficult to find the right person to ask. We are losing a lot of songs. For me, even with this Team Eternity issue, they could have solved it amicably because it wasn’t the whole song, just a sample.”