‘Dancing With a Stranger’ Copyright Lawsuit Revived on Appeal

A lawsuit accusing pop stars Sam Smith and Normani Hamilton of creating their 2019 hit “Dancing With a Stranger” by lifting key musical elements from an earlier song was revived by a federal appeals court Tuesday.

A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that a reasonable jury could determine that Smith and Hamilton copied the musical hook of a 2015 song called “Dancing With Strangers” by singer Jordan Vincent and music duo SKX.

The suing artists, who formed the company Sound and Color LLC, provided musical experts who opined that “the hooks share ...