Beijing Winter Games' song chillingly like Frozen theme

DESPITE its lack of natural snow and much-criticised crackdown on human rights activists, Beijing still won the bid on July 31 to host the 2022 Winter Olympics.

But yet another controversy is brewing on the horizon - this time over one of its official songs for the Games, which sounds suspiciously like Let It Go, the hit ballad by American singer Idina Menzel in the popular 2013 Disney film Frozen.

The YouTube video of The Snow And Ice Dance - the third of 10 numbers released by the city's bid committee in May - has been met with a frosty reception by netizens who noted the similarities.

The New York Times reported that Caijing Online, the website of a well-known Chinese financial committee, had first analysed how the songs shared the same prelude cords and eight-beat introduction. They also had an identical tempo and used the piano as their main instrument.

Caijing has since taken the report down, but the news has been picked up by other Chinese websites. Microblogging platform Weibo was also abuzz with negative comments.

"China is a nation known for piracy," wrote one user.

According to the official website of the Beijing Games' bid committee, The Snow And Ice Dance was composed by Zhao Zhao, who was music director for Beijing Welcomes You, the feature song for the 100-day countdown to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

The Snow And Ice Dance is performed by the male-female duo of Chinese singers Sun Nan and Tan Jing.

Other songs on the list of 10 include Waking Up The Winter by Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan.

Neither Disney nor the Games' organising committee has made any comment. Last month, Chinese film The Autobots was said to have plagiarised from the 2006 Disney and Pixar film Cars.

mklee@sph.com.sg

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