Pop Band Lucius Say Harry Styles Failed to Give Them Featured Credit on “Treat People With Kindness”

Lucius, an indie-pop band founded by lead vocalists Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, recently spoke out about being denied featured credit for their work on Harry Styles’ 2019 album Fine Line. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the leading duo explained that they were not given featured artist credit on “Treat People With Kindness” despite singing the track’s chorus and backing vocals.

The group is credited in the liner notes of the song, but in being excluded as featured artists, Wolfe and Laessig have missed out on the mainstream exposure of streaming platforms.

And as Wolfe and Laessig explain in their interview, they had initially been unaware of the large role they would eventually play in “Treat People With Kindness.” The Lucius two had been in the studio with Styles working on another song when the “Watermelon Sugar” singer asked them to sing on “Treat People With Kindness.”

“We were like, ‘Yeah, of course,’” Wolfe said. “If it’s just ‘oohs’ and ‘aaahs,’ it’s not a big deal. And it’s a good opportunity for us. But we started singing and we were singing the whole chorus.”

“We thought he was gonna add on top after and that we’d be in the background,” Laessig added.

“Two weeks later, they sent us the track,” Wolfe continued. “And it was literally us. We start the song, we sing every chorus, just us. We trade off the bridge. It is us and Harry Styles. Harry Styles and us.”

Styles has yet to feature an artist on his released records—neither his self-titled debut in 2017 or Fine Line in 2019 has guest artists credited. This type of credit, featured credit, would allow fans to find artists easier on streaming platforms, like Spotify, and become familiar with their work.

“It just hurt,” Wolfe said. “Here was an opportunity to spread the love a little bit, which he purports to do all the time. And it could’ve really helped us. I’ve been to Harry shows and he’s always been very charming and kind. We’ve sung live with him.”

Lucius recently released their full-length album Second Nature, which was produced by singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile and Dave Cobb. Check out the album here.

Listen to “Treat People With Kindness” by Harry Styles below.