A California musician says his voice helped power one of Hollywood’s most emotional farewells — but that he was left out when the royalties were divided.
In a newly filed Furious 7 Song Royalties lawsuit, Jacob Broido claims he was never properly compensated for providing vocals on “See You Again,” the chart-topping anthem used to bid farewell to actor Paul Walker and his character, Brian O’Conner, in the 2015 blockbuster “Furious 7.”
The complaint was lodged Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and names several defendants, including Warner Music Group Corp., NBCUniversal Media LLC, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and the AFM & SAG-AFTRA Intellectual Property Rights Distribution Fund.
The Voice Behind the Tribute
“See You Again,” written by Charlie Puth and rapper Wiz Khalifa, became the emotional heartbeat of the film — a soaring tribute following Walker’s 2013 death in a car crash.
Broido alleges he was recruited by Puth to perform what are known as “gang vocals,” a forceful, near-shouted layering technique meant to heighten emotion and amplify resonance. According to the complaint, this vocal style was designed to stir listeners deeply, adding intensity to the song’s climactic farewell.
But while the song climbed charts and became a cultural touchstone, Broido says he was sidelined. He claims he received no compensation for his work and was omitted from writing credits.
“As a result of defendants’ unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent acts, Broido was cheated out of residual payments, the opportunity to negotiate his own licensing deal with parties who wished to exploit the song, and loss of career opportunity due to reputational harm,” the lawsuit alleges.
