Lucius Say Harry Styles Denied Them Featured Credit on ‘Treat People With Kindness’
“We start the song, we sing every chorus, just us. We trade off the bridge. It is us and Harry Styles.”
Max Wagner/Hanna Moon
Lucius have spoken out about not being fairly credited for their work on Harry Styles’ Fine Line song “Treat People With Kindness.” In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the duo said they felt they were denied a featured artist credit on the track after making significant contributions.
Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig are listed in the liner notes for the 2019 song as vocalists, but did not receive a prominent featured artist credit on streaming platforms. In the interview, the band recounted how they’d been in the studio with Styles working on a different song when he asked them to sing on “Treat People With Kindness.”
“We were like, ‘Yeah, of course,’” Wolfe told the Los Angeles Times. “If it’s just ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs,’ it’s not a big deal. And it’s a good opportunity for us. But we started singing and we were singing the whole chorus.” She continued, “Two weeks later, they sent us the track. And it was literally us. We start the song, we sing every chorus, just us. We trade off the bridge. It is us and Harry Styles. Harry Styles and us.”
The singers were unhappy with Styles’ refusal to properly credit them — although the Los Angeles Times notes that he has “never officially featured any artist on an album.” Still, Styles also chose to not link Lucius to the track on Spotify, meaning the band is losing out on massive amounts of mainstream exposure. The former One Direction singer refused the paper’s request for comment.
“It just hurt,” Wolfe said. “Here was an opportunity to spread the love a little bit, which he purports to do all the time. And it could’ve really helped us. I’ve been to Harry shows and he’s always been very charming and kind. We’ve sung live with him.”
Lucius’ most recent album, Second Nature, out now via Mom + Pop Music. The album was produced by Dave Cobb and Brandi Carlile, and recorded primarily at Nashville’s RCA Studio A. It marks the band’s third full-length album and first since 2016’s Good Grief.
Styles, meanwhile, is preparing to release his next album, Harry’s House, out May 20. The LP will mark Styles’ third solo album, following Fine Line. He has so far dropped one single from the album, “As It Was,” along with a music video filmed in London by Ukrainian director Tanu Muino.
From Rolling Stone US.
