How a Marvin Gaye Copyright Debacle Launched LOVRA’s Recording Career

It's a story as old as music publishing itself: an artist reworks or remixes another artist’s music in the name of art, only for it to be taken down because it violates copyright law. More often than not these stories end in tragedy, whether it be in the form of massive fines, cease and desists, or sometimes even lawsuits.

Thankfully for German DJ and producer LOVRA, none of these were part of hers. After amassing nearly 2 million plays in the span of just three weeks, her remix of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” (which was also her very first production) was garnering major attention, and not just from your average SoundCloud user. Shortly after noticing the track’s sudden disappearance from the platform, she received an email. Instead of the aforementioned unfavorable outcomes, the sender wanted to release the track themselves, allowing it to exist in the universe lawfully and in perpetuity.

“I got an email, and I was worried it would be, like, a billion-dollar fine,” said LOVRA, whose off-stage name is Laura Lungen, in Gray Area’s Spotlight interview. “But it was Universal [Music Group] in LA, and they said, ‘Hey LOVRA, this is a sick track, but you know, this is not allowed. But we love it so much that we’ll put it out, and you’ll get the rights to it but no money.’ So my first release was on Universal, and I flew to LA to visit their office, which was mind blowing for me. That was mental.”

Since then she’s been an unstoppable tour de force. Upon being discovered by Ministry of Sound after her second-ever release, “Love Sensation,” a 100% original track that she says “came straight from the heart” and was released on her friend’s now-defunct label Emma, she was placed on a worldwide residency tour for the mega-brand. During said tour LOVRA found herself brushing shoulders with the likes of David Guetta, whom she met while playing at Pacha in 2017, which skyrocketed her career even more.

She’s come a long way since her world tour opening for Guetta, now pivoting more into the underground these days. “I also have shows here in Berlin,” she said. “And as you know, Berlin is the techno home city. I really feel the higher BPMs but I also love my vocals. And that's why for me the connection to tech house is really something, it's coming straight out of my heart. That's why I'm really happy to go there right now.”

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for the latest and greatest iteration of LOVRA, wherever the freshest beats are served.