Beyoncé Sued Again Over “Alien Superstar” Sample
Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment is facing another copyright lawsuit over the sample that opens her 2022 Renaissance track ‘Alien Superstar.”
Producer Shuji Hirose and his company, Hirose Enterprise, filed the new lawsuit against Beyoncé, Parkwood Entertainment and several other music companies, accusing them of using a sample from the 1998 track “Moonraker” without permission from the rightful copyright owner.
“Moonraker,” performed by John Holiday, also known as Johnny Dangerous and Foremost Poets, features the spoken-word introduction heard at the beginning of “Alien Superstar.” Beyoncé’s team did obtain permission from Holiday to use the material, and he is credited on the song. Th problem, according to Hirose, is that Holiday had already transferred his rights in “Moonraker” years earlier. Hirose argues that means Beyoncé’s team essentially obtained permission from someone who no longer had the authority to grant it.
This isn’t Parkwood’s first trip to court over the sample. Hirose Enterprises filed a similar lawsuit in August 2025, but a federal judge dismissed the case in June 2026. The decision did not determine whether the sample was properly licensed. Instead, the judge found the company lacked legal standing because Hirose Enterprises did not legally exist when the original lawsuit was filed. Court records showed the company sued on August 4, 2025, but was not formally created until August 12.
Now, Hirose has returned with a newly filed complaint, keeping the underlying copyright dispute alive.
“Alien Superstar” became one of the standout tracks from Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning Renaissance album and has remained part of her live performances through both the Renaissance and Cowboy Carter tours.
Neither Beyoncé nor Parkwood Entertainment has publicly responded to the latest filing. The allegations have not been proven in court.
