Etana, says her legal battle with VP Records over allegedly unpaid royalties has cost her "many sleepless nights." She filed a complaint against the Queens, New York-based firm, alleging a variety of royalty-related allegations.
The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of New York by Shauna McKenzie Morris and Freemind Music LLC against VP Records and their affiliates. VP Records Retail Outlet Inc, VP Music Group Inc, VP Records Distributors LLC, VP Records of Brooklyn LLC, Greensleeves Publishing Ltd, and STB Music Inc are the names of the companies involved.
Miami Entertainment Law Group represents Etana, whose real name is Shauna McKenzie Morris.
A statement from that firm read in part:
“Despite all the commercial success enjoyed by McKenzie, to date the defendants have not provided a formal accounting and they have not properly paid plaintiffs the royalties and the other income due to the plaintiffs under their agreements including but not limited to artiste royalties, mechanical royalties, public performance royalties, profits from the sale of merchandise and for any licensing fees.”
In 2008, VP Records distributed four albums for Etana, with the first being, "The Strong One." Six years later, after the release of "I Rise," their collaboration came to an end.
“It was so frustrating I suffered from depression for a while. Many sleepless nights, years of not receiving royalties and the constant hoops to go through to get an answer that leads to no resolve made it even more frustrating. Eventually, I got through it when I decided I would walk away from it all and just keep creating,” said Etana.