Marina Responds to Allegations of Stealing ‘Paje’ Song
Rwandan singer Marina has addressed ongoing social media accusations that her recently released song, Paje, was stolen from an up-and-coming artist, Muda B.
Shortly after Marina released the track, online videos circulated claiming striking similarities between her song and one allegedly created by Muda B. Supporters of Marina, however, deny the allegations, suggesting that Muda B might have come across the song and reproduced it.
In an interview with local media , Marina dismissed the accusations, saying: “How could I steal a song I’ve worked on for four years? I created it a long time ago with Passy Kizito, and we initially developed it at Element’s studio.”
When asked how Muda B might have accessed the track, Marina added, “I really don’t know. He claimed the song was produced at Element’s studio, but we asked him, and he admitted he doesn’t know us. It’s possible he got the track through other channels and ended up releasing it himself.”
Marina explained that after working with Passy Kizito on the song, they agreed she would finalize it with another producer. “After four years, we finally released it. There’s no way I could have stolen a song that has been in the works for so long,” she said.
Safi Eric, Marina’s representative, told IGIHE that during preparations for the song’s release, they learned of another artist attempting to claim it and even upload it to YouTube. “We discovered this while readying our release. After confirming with Element and Passy Kizito that this person had no rights, we decided to release our version. He had contacted me asking for 200,000 Frw, claiming he had rights to the song, but that was not the case,” Eric explained.
Eric further revealed that Marina and Passy Kizito plan to release another collaboration in January 2026.
Muda B, in a video posted on his YouTube channel, expressed surprise at the allegations. He claimed that after meeting with Marina’s manager, he was asked to accept 200,000 Frw for the track, but was shocked when his version was removed from YouTube instead. In the video, he appeared confused about the situation and the actions taken by Marina’s team.
This incident highlights ongoing tensions in Rwanda’s music industry over intellectual property, while Marina and her team remain firm that Paje is their original creation.
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