Bad Bunny’s ex-girlfriend is suing the Puerto Rican musician for at least $40m over a voice recording of hers that he used in two of his songs.
Carliz De La Cruz Hernández says she recorded the catchphrase “Bad Bunny, baby” in 2015 and it has since been used without her consent in two tracks which have been streamed hundreds of millions of times.
Bad Bunny – whose real name is Benito Martínez Ocasio – has been the most-streamed artist on Spotify for the last three years.
The lawsuit said Ms De La Cruz’s “distinguishable voice” has been used without her permission in promotions, worldwide concerts, on television, radio and social media.
“Since then, thousands of people have commented directly on Carliz’s social media networks, as well as every time she goes to a public place, about the ‘Bad Bunny, baby’,” the lawsuit said.
“This has caused, and currently causes, that De La Cruz feels worried, anguished, intimidated, overwhelmed and anxious.”
The couple got together in 2011 and Ms De La Cruz apparently recorded the “Bad Bunny, baby” line in a friend’s bathroom in 2015 at her then-partner’s request, she says.
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In January 2016 he asked her to marry him, but the pair split in May 2016.
In May 2022 a Bad Bunny representative contacted Ms De La Cruz and offered her $2,000 to buy the recording of her voice, her lawyers claim.
A deal was never reached, and the song was published without Ms De La Cruz’s consent, her lawsuit said.
Bad Bunny’s manager Noah Kamil Assad Byrne is also being sued.
