A man accused of stealing hard drives containing unreleased music by global superstar Beyoncé has been sentenced to two years in prison following a high-profile theft case connected to her Cowboy Carter tour.
According to court records and investigators, 41-year-old Kelvin Evans pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including breaking into a vehicle and criminal trespassing, over the incident that took place in Atlanta during Beyoncé’s concert tour in July 2025.
Authorities stated that Evans broke into a rented Jeep Wagoneer used by Beyoncé’s choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue while the pair were in Atlanta for performances linked to the tour. The victims later discovered the vehicle’s rear window smashed and several belongings missing.
Among the stolen items were hard drives reportedly containing unreleased Beyoncé music, two MacBook laptops, Apple headphones, luxury clothing, and other valuable personal items. Investigators also revealed that the stolen devices contained highly sensitive information related to the internationally famous singer and her ongoing music projects.
Police later managed to track some of the stolen laptops to an apartment complex through built-in location tracking technology. Surveillance footage presented in court allegedly showed Evans arriving at the location carrying suitcases believed to belong to the victims.
Before the trial began, Evans accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to two years in prison along with an additional three years of probation. The court also ordered him to stay away from both the victims and the parking facility where the theft occurred.
Despite the conviction, authorities confirmed that the stolen hard drives containing the unreleased Beyoncé music have still not been recovered. Investigators continue to monitor whether the files could surface online or be linked to digital piracy networks in the future.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly before Beyoncé began her four-night Cowboy Carter performances at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Cowboy Carter tour has become one of the biggest global music tours of recent years, attracting massive audiences and global media attention.
For the global entertainment industry, the case once again highlights the growing risks artists and production teams face regarding digital security and unreleased content leaks. Music labels and entertainment companies have increasingly strengthened cybersecurity and physical security measures as unreleased songs, recordings, and production materials can carry enormous commercial value.
In Sri Lanka and other countries, leaked music and digital piracy remain major concerns for entertainment industries, especially as streaming platforms and online file-sharing technologies continue to expand rapidly. Industry experts say even a single leak involving a major global artist can result in significant financial losses and reputational damage.
Entertainment analysts note that Beyoncé remains one of the world’s most commercially powerful music artists, making unreleased material connected to her projects highly valuable within illegal online trading communities.
Meanwhile, the case has sparked renewed discussions in the United States regarding celebrity security, digital privacy, and the protection of intellectual property during major entertainment tours and productions.
What happens next will likely focus on efforts by investigators and digital security experts to locate the missing hard drives and prevent any unreleased material from being distributed online.
