Joe Mettle Calls for Amicable Resolution of “Defe Defe” Copyright Dispute Between Team Eternity and Kwame Mickey

Famous gospel singer Joe Mettle has advised the gospel music group Team Eternity Ghana and Kwame Mickey, who is in charge of Hallelujah Voices, to settle their disagreement over the rights to the song ‘defe defe’ peacefully.

The song “Defe Defe” by Team Eternity Ghana has become very popular on social media, with more than two million people watching it on YouTube since it came out on May 1, 2024.

But Kwame Mickey claims that Team Eternity Ghana used parts of Hallelujah Voices’ 2004 song with the same title without permission. Osuani Afrifa wrote this song, and Kaakyire Music Productions made it.

Mickey has warned that he might take legal steps if Team Eternity Ghana doesn’t give credit to the original makers of the song.

In a talk on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show, Joe Mettle said that both sides should come to a friendly agreement, pointing out that what was copied was just a small part of the song.

He highlighted how important it is to officially register songs and use the right publishing services to prevent such problems.

He explained that registering songs and putting them on proper publishing platforms can help track ownership and avoid issues if someone uses part of a song. He mentioned that not doing this is one reason why many old songs are forgotten, as they should be re-recorded instead of being lost.

Joe Mettle also recognized that permission should be asked for, but sometimes it’s hard to find who to ask. He believes that even in this case with Team Eternity, they could have easily settled things peacefully since only a part of the song was used, not the entire thing.