Pop singer AKA 7even, known outside of music as Luca Marzano, faces trial after a Rome judge ordered proceedings regarding allegations that his 2021 summer hit single “Loca” constitutes a plagiarism of an unreleased track titled “Loka” written by singer-songwriter Emanuele Bertolucci, performing as Lema.
The Bottom Line
- The Accusation: Thirty-year-old songwriter Emanuele Bertolucci claims AKA 7even’s hit single “Loca” copies his composition “Loka,” which he penned in late 2019 during unsuccessful auditions for the television program Amici.
- The Legal Status: Following a months-long investigation and technical audio consultation ordered by the Rome public prosecutor’s office, a judge of the preliminary hearing (gup) ordered AKA 7even to stand trial.
- The Commercial Impact: Released in April 2021 during the artist’s run on Amici, “Loca” achieved massive commercial success, earning a triple platinum certification and tens of millions of digital streams.
From 2019 Auditions to a Primetime Television Debut
The origins of the legal dispute stretch back to late 2019, when Emanuele Bertolucci participated in preliminary auditions for the television talent show Amici. Although Bertolucci did not secure a spot in the main cast for the 2019-2020 television season, he drafted the composition “Loka” during that period between November 9 and 10, 2019. Previously, on July 23, 2018, Bertolucci had signed an exclusive artistic production contract with Gianvito Vizzi, owner of the Cosmophonix production company.
When Bertolucci decided to approach subsequent auditions independently without renewing his contract with Vizzi, his former producer indicated an intention to bring another artist to the tryouts instead. That artist was Luca Marzano, performing as AKA 7even. On April 24, 2021, Marzano performed “Loca” during an episode of Amici broadcast to approximately five million viewers, rapidly launching his career as a chart-performing music star.
Studio Skepticism and Commercial Milestone Figures
During the April 2021 television broadcast, music producer and broadcast regular Rudy Zerbi raised immediate questions about the originality of the composition. Zerbi remarked on air that the track felt like “a collage of many things already heard,” before another mentor associated with AKA 7even dismissed the critique by asserting the song was carefully constructed inside the show’s residential quarters and would soon attain gold certification.
| Metric | Recorded Figure |
|---|---|
| Television Audience Reach | Approx. 5 million viewers (April 24, 2021) |
| Spotify Streams | 53 million streams |
| YouTube Views | Over 21 million views |
| Sales Certification | Triple platinum certification |
The Formal Investigation and Technical Comparison
According to reports by the daily newspaper La Stampa, Bertolucci experienced immediate shock upon watching the live television broadcast and recognizing the performance as his own work, altered only by substituting a “c” for the “k” in the title and modifying a small number of verses. After failing to receive satisfactory explanations from either his former producer or the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers (SIAE), Bertolucci filed a formal legal complaint alleging plagiarism.
Investigators examined official musical scores containing the transcribed tracks of both compositions. A technical expert consultation submitted during the months-long inquiry concluded that Bertolucci’s “Loka” and AKA 7even’s “Loca” are virtually identical. The presiding judge subsequently accepted the prosecution’s case, sending the 26-year-old singer—who also competed in the recent edition of the Sanremo Music Festival—to trial for unauthorized public performance of a composition presented as his own.
Legal Strategies and Civil Litigation Aims
Attorneys representing Bertolucci, penal lawyer Luca Calabrò and civil lawyer Stefano Mezzanoglio based in Turin, commented on the progression of the legal proceedings. Legal counsel stated that the trial will finally restore truth and dignity to their client, who was deprived of the authorship of a musical piece that successfully launched an artist who did not compose it. The legal team also emphasized that civil litigation is actively proceeding against all involved parties to address the economic and image damages suffered by Bertolucci.
