Leona Lewis backs down over new single Collide

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Leona Lewis and AviciiImage source, Other

Leona Lewis and DJ Avicii have reached an agreement over a track which the Swedish producer had claimed was used without his permission.

Collide, the X Factor singer's new single, will now be released as a collaboration under both artists' names.

Avicii had claimed Collide's sample - a piano dance beat - had been used without his permission.

Lewis's label Syco, run by Simon Cowell, had denied this.

Collaboration agreed

An agreement has now been made without the case ending up in court.

A statement from Syco said: "It is announced today that Leona Lewis and Avicii will work together on the forthcoming single Collide.

"Since getting its first radio play in the UK it has received rave reviews and is already topping club charts across the country."

Avicii wrote on his Twitter page: "Glad to have finally resolved situation with Leona. So happy to move on with Leona and focus on having a hit together."

It comes after a row had erupted last month when Lewis' track first premiered.

The singer's label Syco says she was given the go-ahead to use a track called Penguin, recorded by Avicii.

That song sampled an instrumental called Perpetuum Mobile originally by Penguin Cafe Orchestra.

Avicii's manager said he thought that Leona would only use the original sample on her new single.

"We were under the impression that they were going to sample the original. They ended up copying our version," said the DJ's manager Ash Pournouri in a statement at the time.

"We never allowed [Syco] to replay our version of the track.

"The original sample rights belong to Simon Jeffes [Penguin Cafe Orchestra] and approval for using that composition is not in our control," he added.

Syco said that was untrue.

The label said it was crediting Avicii, whose real name is Tim Bergling, on the single.

On her Twitter feed, at the end of July, Leona Lewis had said: "With regards to my song, Avicii was aware & agreeing publishing splits for himself and his manager.

"When Avicii sent his track out to have a song written over it I totally fell in love with this version and I think he's super talented."

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