Beloved Malawian RnB singer Teddy Makadi has responded to accusations of stealing a song from Nigerian artist 2Baba in his new release “Desire.”

In Teddy’s new track, there is a line that sounds similar to 2Baba’s lyrics in the song “If Love is a Crime,” with Teddy singing, “Every time when I look into your eyes, I see fire in there,” which bears resemblance to 2Baba’s lyrics.

Teddy Makadi addressed the allegations, saying, “I did not steal from 2Baba Idibia. I was inspired by him, and I even acknowledged him in the song. Let’s not misinterpret things.”

However, some music lovers have said that sampling someone’s song and giving credit is not theft, whereas failing to acknowledge a sample would indeed be considered stealing. Teddy maintains that his use of the lyric was done respectfully and with proper acknowledgment to 2Baba, not as an act of plagiarism.