Artist claims Mark Wahlberg ‘screwed her out of royalties’

New York-based, German-born artist Melina Bruhn has claimed she has missed out on all royalties for her work on Life in the Streets, Marky Mark’s 1994 album with reggae artist Prince Ital Joe.

Bruhn, who sang solo vocals on the record, has told Page Six:

“I was screwed out of royalties for the rest of my life […],” she said of Mark Wahlberg’s third album.

“This has been haunting me for my entire career, and I’ve always wanted to write to him, to let him know how much I’ve suffered,” Bruhn said. “I’m not upset at Mark. He was just another artist, like me. I’m just upset at the situation. I didn’t get my fair share, and I hope that my story will help younger up-and-coming artists protect themselves.”

While Life in the Streets was never released in the US, it did achieve commercial success in Germany. When it was released via Ultraphonic Records in 1994, four of its tracks made the Top 20: “Life in the Streets” hit #12, “Happy People” charted at #4, “Babylon” reached #17, and “United” held the #1 position in the country for five weeks.

During the year of its release, three tracks from the record (“Life in the Streets”, “In Love” and “United” were used in the 1994 film Renaissance Man starring Danny DeVito. Meanwhile, “United” also appeared in The Neverending Story III that year; the film grossed $5 million in Germany.

Bruhn now performs under the name Melina & the Oompahs, performing at the annual Oktoberfest in Germany.

Mark Wahlberg is yet to issue a statement.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.