They’re Playing My Song

A Swedish pop singer has demanded that the U.K.’s Eurovision Song Contest entry be disqualified because she says it’s a copy of one of her songs.

Tales of plagiarism and controversy usually rear their heads in the last four or five weeks before the final, and this one has Anneli Magnusson – or Pandora, to use her stage name – instructing her lawyers that Scooch’s "Flying the Flag" is a dead ringer for her own song "No Regrets."

"I want the Scooch entry to be disqualified. It’s more than similar to my song – especially the refrain," she told European newswires.

Pandora, who tried and failed to become Sweden’s entrant to the 2007 contest, hasn’t impressed the BBC with her claims.

"The Scooch song is an original song written by Russ Spencer, Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill and Paul Tarry," the U.K. national broadcasting corporation said in a statement.

"Those writers were never aware of Pandora’s songs so she can be assured there has been no duplication of her work."

Forty-two countries will compete for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest Final at Helsinki Hartwall Arena May 12th.