Who Is Toninho Geraes? Brazilian Composer Accusing Adele of Plagiarizing “Million Years ago” From His Famous Samba Classic “Mulheres”

Adele’s hit song Million Years Ago is in hot water. The British pop superstar might see one of her famous tracks disappear from the internet completely. Why? A Brazilian composer claimed her song copied his samba hit, Mulheres.

Now, a court in Brazil has ordered the song to be taken off streaming platforms worldwide. It’s a major win for the composer, but it’s also got the whole world talking about music copyright—loudly.

So, who exactly is he? What are the allegations? And why has this song caused trouble more than once? Let’s break it all down step by step.

Who is the Brazilian composer who accused Adele of plagiarism?

The Brazilian composer is none other than Toninho Geraes. Although he might not be a household name outside Brazil, in his home country, he’s a big deal. The musician is a legend in the samba music scene.

If you’re picturing Brazil’s famous Carnival parties with people dancing in colorful costumes, that’s the kind of music Geraes makes. Geraes is a composer and he’s been doing it for years.

One of his biggest hits is Mulheres, a samba classic released in 1995. It was performed by Martinho da Vila, a famous Brazilian singer. The song became an anthem in Brazil and is still played today at samba parties, weddings, and family gatherings.

Fast forward to 2024, and Geraes is back in the headlines. This time, it’s not for a new hit song but for a legal battle. He claimed that Adele’s Million Years Ago (released in 2015) stole the melody from his song Mulheres.

Adele’s Million Years Ago faces plagiarism allegations

Now let’s get into the details of what’s happening in court. Toninho Geraes filed a lawsuit claiming that Adele’s Million Years Ago sounds too similar to his 1995 song Mulheres. The court in Rio de Janeiro took his claims seriously.

On Friday, Judge Victor Torres issued an order that could have major consequences for Adele’s team. The judge ruled that Sony Music and Universal Music—the songstress’ record labels—must immediately remove the song from streaming platforms, radio stations, and other media worldwide.

If the labels don’t follow the order, they’ll be hit with a fine of $8,000 (per Guardian) “per act of non-compliance.” That’s a lot of money for a song played millions of times around the world. So, what happens next? Sony and Universal can still appeal the decision, meaning they’ll try to argue against the order.

However, the judge’s preliminary injunction shows that Geraes’ claims have enough weight to cause real problems for Adele’s camp. Fredimio Trotta, Geraes’ lawyer, said the ruling sends a strong message. He said (via Independent):

It is a landmark for Brazilian music, which … has often been copied to compose successful international hits. International producers and artists who … have Brazilian music ‘on their radar’ for possible parasitic use will think twice, given this decision.

The court’s decision has put Adele’s team in a tight spot. For now, the song might disappear from streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.

If Geraes wins the full case, Adele and her team will have to pay damages, share songwriting credit, and hand over royalties. For now, though, the lawsuit is ongoing, and the final decision is still in the hands of the courts.

Million Years Ago has already run into trouble before

This isn’t the first time Adele’s song has been accused of plagiarism. Back when Million Years Ago was released in 2015, fans in Turkey noticed something strange. As reported by BBC, they said the song sounded very similar to a Kurdish track from 1985 called Acılara Tutunmak.

The song was performed by Ahmet Kaya, a famous Kurdish singer who died in exile in France in 2000. At the time, Kaya’s widow, Gulten Kaya, defended the British icon (per NME). She said it was unlikely that a global superstar like Adele would deliberately copy the song.

Still, the accusations from Turkey showed that Million Years Ago has a certain melody that feels familiar to fans in different parts of the world. Now, with Toninho Geraes’ lawsuit, the song is once again in the spotlight.