Eurovision Song Cleared of Plagiarism

Singer Katra was chosen to go through to the next round of competition with her song “Tietäjä”, composed by Risto Asikainen. However, were suspicions that this song had borrowed too heavily from a piece called “Jillian” by Dutch metal band Within Temptation.

The bone of contention was the dramatic introduction and the refrain, which sounds similar to the 2004 hard rock hit “Jillian”.

The similarity was underscored by the fact that bands adhere to the conventions of the same musical genre: both songs are performed by metal bands with operatic female vocalists and the heavy percussion and bass emblematic of the style.

The melodies of the verses, however, differ significantly.

YLE, which is organizing the competition, investigated the claims with the help of music experts. Finland’s Eurovision finals will be held in Turku on February 17.