Ariana Grande sues hackers who leaked music and videos

Pop superstar Ariana Grande has initiated legal proceedings against two anonymous hackers, alleging they disseminated unreleased musical tracks and studio recordings by illicitly accessing the computers of her collaborators.

Court documents submitted in Los Angeles, and reported by various US media outlets, detail the singer's claims that the hackers specifically targeted photographers and producers to acquire material. This stolen content was subsequently sold "on the dark web" for "significant sums of money."

"In 2023 alone, 45 unreleased songs belonging to Ms Grande were hacked, stolen, and leaked," the lawsuit states. "Since her music debut in 2011, hundreds of similar leaks have taken place."

Grande's legal team has indicated that the lawsuit aims to ascertain the identities of the individuals responsible for the hacking.

The artist has previously voiced her determination to hold accountable those who leak her unreleased work. During a 2024 interview on the Zach Sang show, she discussed the song "Fantasize," co-written with Swedish pop producer Max Martin, which gained widespread attention after being posted online without authorization.

"Before I left for Wicked - [there were] a few studio sessions that I did which are all over TikTok, thank you so much, I'll see you in jail. Literally," she remarked. "Those were all written for a TV show, for something that was not for me, so Fantasize comes out, crazy, was stolen... These pirates, crooks, illegal!"

This year marks Grande's return to music following a hiatus for filming the two-part cinematic adaptation of "Wicked."

The legal complaint outlines a purported pattern of illegal activities, wherein the accounts of Grande's co-workers were systematically targeted over several years. In 2025, the lawsuit claims, the defendants allegedly hacked into the mobile device of a producer who had worked with Grande, gaining access to unreleased master recordings, demos, and footage from recording sessions. The previous year, the suit alleges, hackers created an email account impersonating a photographer and successfully convinced a digital technician to send them unreleased photographs belonging to Grande.

The singer accuses the hackers of violating the "sacred relationship that exists between her and her fans." She is seeking damages for invasion of privacy, violation of California computer hacking laws, and conversion.

Her lawyers assert that the "malicious invasion of Ms. Grande's privacy and disruption of her career have caused her substantial and irreparable harm due to this breach of privacy."

This court filing precedes the release of Grande's eighth studio album, "Petal," scheduled for this Friday. She is currently in the midst of her "Eternal Sunshine" world tour, with UK dates slated for August. Grande has previously hinted that these concerts might be her last for "a long time."

"I'm going to give it my all and it's going to be beautiful," she shared on Amy Poehler's Good Hang podcast. "I think that's why I'm doing it because I'm like: 'One last hurrah' - for now."