Beyonce is once again the target of criticism from another musical act. A 90s British group has claimed that she "stole" one of her iconic dance routines from them even though they taught it to her.
The singer, who received a record number of Grammy nominations for her Cowboy Carter album, has been the subject of accusations that she has plagiarized other artists. This has upset fans of "snubbed" artists, but she was overlooked at the CMA awards.
Nevertheless, the most recent allegations are presented in the BBC docuseries, Boybands Forever.
In the episodes, 911, a 90s group, claims they were responsible for instructing her on performing her signature booty sway.
During the 1997 performance of their popular single "Bodyshakin'," the group comprised of Lee Brennan, Jimmy Constable, and Simon "Spike" Dawbarn, for five years, recalls shaking their bodies notoriously.
Sawbarn recounted Beyonce's fixation with their performance in the documentary.
"There's something about that move...we did a TV show with Destiny's Child. We performed and we did Bodshakin' and Beyonce was like 'show us that move! Keep doing it,'" he recalled.
"And me and jimmy were just stood there, doing the move because if Beyonce asked you, you did it!"
Then, he recalled witnessing her perform it in videos.
"So when you watch Beyonce videos doing the booty shake I'm like 'ah, she robbed it!' We did it first!'" he stated. The Grammy-winning artist has not addressed the band's allegations.
It is not the first time Beyonce has been accused of stealing dance routines. Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, a Belgian choreographer, alleged 2011 that the singer had imitated several of her moves for her single "Countdown," as per The Guardian.
In an interview with a Danish blog, De Keersmaeker disclosed that Beyonce's record label had not requested her to authorize the use of her original work.
'I didn't know anything about this. I'm not mad, but this is plagiarism,' she stated.
During the BBC program, John McLaughlin, the songwriter of "Bodyshakin'," expressed his thoughts on the inspiration behind the song.
"Spike and Jimmy were fantastic dancers. It wasn't even dancing, it was acrobatics...So I was like OK, let's give them a song that's a themed song. We wanted it to sound like a dance. A word that just sticks in your brain. When Bodyshakin' came, I thought ah that's it!'" he said.
Social media platforms have been inundated with responses from both enthusiasts and doubters.
"Seriously? A 90s boyband trying to stay relevant by dragging Beyoncé? Not buying it," a fan shared. "If Beyoncé was inspired, that’s a compliment! Everyone borrows from someone in the industry," an X user stated.
"Beyoncé has faced these accusations before. Where there’s smoke, is there fire?" a third source commented. "I remember 911’s dance moves. If true, they deserve credit for their influence!" another netizen added.
"This is nothing but jealousy. Beyoncé elevates everything she touches," a fifth fan tweeted. "Whether intentional or not, this highlights how interconnected dance influences can be," another X user went on.
Business Times has reached out to Beyonce for comments.
