Victoria Kimani claims Lady Gaga’s iconic song ‘Just Dance’ was written by her
By William Muthama, March 21, 2026Singer Victoria Kimani has made a claim about one of the biggest pop songs of the 21st century, asserting that she wrote Just Dance, the global breakout hit that launched Lady Gaga’s career.
In her documentary series, released on Saturday, March 14, 2026, Kimani revealed she created a songwriting demo in her teens that included a chorus remarkably similar to the famed chorus of the hit, then later heard it become a worldwide smash.
According to Kimani, she put together her first songwriting demo, which consisted of five songs, one of which was Just Dance.
The chorus featured lines like: “So just dance, so just dance, it’s all right, it’s okay, because you’ll find a way.”
Months later, she heard the song released by Lady Gaga and instantly recognised the chorus.
“I thought, wait, I wrote that. Where’s my credit? Where are my accolades? Where’s my money?” Kimani recalled.
Unsure how to respond, she chose to remain quiet at the time, fearing repercussions or being blacklisted in the industry.
Just Dance was released on April 8, 2008, as the lead single from Lady Gaga’s debut album The Fame. It became a global sensation, topping charts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Greece, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
The track earned Gaga her first Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording. It was later certified Diamond by the RIAA for over 10 million digital sales, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.
Kimani said the experience was eye-opening, illustrating how the music industry often overlooks songwriters behind major hits.
She noted that her work has been repeatedly used without proper credit, including for other international artists, and emphasised that situations like hers reflect broader challenges faced by many songwriters.
Kimani further claimed she wrote a song called All About the Money for Russian artist Timati, recording a verse that later appeared in a music video lip-synced by another singer.
I wrote a song called All About the Money for Timati and recorded my verse, but when the music video came out, someone else was lip-syncing my vocals,” Kimani said.
She also asserted that she co-wrote a song called Live It Up which was later released by Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull, using the exact cadence, flow, and chorus of her original song without recognition or compensation.