The Czech Republic’s Mikolas Josef delivered his country’s best result ever with his self-penned song “Lie To Me”.  Meanwhile, Russian singer UrKiss released a song titled “Lish’ Ona” (which means “Only Her”) in April…and it sounds strikingly similar to Mikolas’ Eurovision entry.

UrKiss’ “Lish’ Ona” was first performed at a concert in early April 2018 and was subsequently performed on various television shows. The song first gained big exposure during the television festival Zvezdy Russkogo Radio in April.

The song doesn’t just sound like “Lie To Me”: the performance also mirrors Mikolas’ exact movements during his performance in the Ukrainian national final back in February. It even includes the backpack dance!

The performance has experienced a huge backlash as everyone with eyes and ears can see the resemblance between the two performances. And while UrKiss never credited Mikolas as the writer or original performer with a public thank you or nod, he DID include his name in the credits of a TV performance (at the Muz TV Awards), suggesting he may have bought the rights.

UrKiss is already a controversial name on the Russian music scene owing to another plagiarism scandal. He was accused of plagiarising the song “Meduza” by the singer Matrang back in March of this year.  The song went into rotation without Matrang being credited according to media outlet Super.ru.

Even more controversially, UrKiss sang “Lish’ Ona” once again during the Muz-TV Awards last week and the RU.TV Awards two weeks ago. The award shows are both regarded as two of the most important Russian award shows on television.

The controversial aspect of these performances was that UrKiss, who’s real name is Yuri Kiselyov, is not a household name in Russia and his father Vladimir Kiselyov has a 78% share of the Russian Media Group, which owns both television channels.

Although the song has not been released on iTunes or Spotify, the Russkoe Radio performance on YouTube on UrKiss’ official channel has advertisements on it, which means he is potentially making money from Mikolas’ work. Of course, if he did but the rights to the song as hinted by the credits at the end of one of the music shows, then that’s fine.

Wiwibloggs reached out to Mikolas and his management for a reaction prior to publishing this article. They told us that they will start conversations with UrKiss’ people after they review the performances and Mikolas will release a statement soon.

Read all Czech Republic news here

Additional reporting by Cinan

Picture credits: UrKiss Instagram

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Cesar
Cesar
5 years ago

Relax, everyone. It’s just a cover version of the song!!

Europe
Europe
5 years ago

Awful!

Regina Phalange
Regina Phalange
5 years ago

Ikr! This is even worse. Shame, shame, shame.

Artem
Artem
5 years ago

I am Russian. Yurkiss is the father of news. He constantly speaks as badly in Europe and America, says the terrible things that Europe is full of gays only and it rot. That’s shameful!!! This is all sponsored by the Kremlin – Putin.

Gama
Gama
5 years ago

Appalling. I mean…. ohmygosh I can’t even enunciate my shock.

Digital Style
5 years ago

That’s absolutely ridiculous, Danny, and you know it. Lie to Me has similar instrumentation to Talk Dirty but they sound very different to each other, have completely different melodies and really are nothing alike. This is a BLATANT copy of Lie to Me as almost EVERYTHING is identical, even small aspects like the way he’s dancing and how he’s dressed.

Efraim
Efraim
5 years ago

Cheap knockoff. With emphasis on CHEAP.

FanESC
FanESC
5 years ago

Omg, watched the video yesterday but just the first 30 seconds cause I was curious but I just watched it and listened to the chorus. I didn’t see that dances moves on the instrumental part in the chorus, I’m laughing so hard, he does the same thing with his legs and the same things at the exact same moments Mikolas did them, lol, it’s so ankward and ridiculous.

Juan Cena
Juan Cena
5 years ago

“Don’t look shocked. This isn’t the worst things Russians have ever stolen.”

– Ukraine and Georgia

Ann
Ann
5 years ago
Reply to  Juan Cena

it’s true?

Curve
Curve
5 years ago

That UrKiss guy also copied a Russian song called Meduza by Matrang so this plagiarism of Lie To Me is nothing new at all. This man is a chronic copycat and is making a career of it.

Ashley Hansennken
5 years ago
Reply to  Curve

Thank you very much, we can read.

beccaboo1212
5 years ago

I think Mikolas Josef should file a lawsuit. 😮

AnnaRU
AnnaRU
5 years ago

All Eurovision fans from Russia were shocked by such plagiarism. And not just shocked, but very outraged!

srulik
srulik
5 years ago
Reply to  AnnaRU

can you give examples of wht the fans and media are saying?

Ann
Ann
5 years ago

That’s How You Write A Song

Juan Cena
Juan Cena
5 years ago
Reply to  Ann

You win.

Ann
Ann
5 years ago
Reply to  Juan Cena

?

EscAU
EscAU
5 years ago

Lol the official music video got taken down in the last few hours :O hopefully that means things are getting done # justice for mikolas

Danny
Danny
5 years ago

Unfortunately there’s almost no chance that Mikolas can do something about it because.. Russia.
I used to work for a company that was revealing copyrights violations (in stock photography). We wouldn’t even check the Russian market because the law system there is corrupt and inofficiant in terms of copyrights protection, that it’s just a waste of time to try to do something about it.

srulik
srulik
5 years ago
Reply to  Danny

the EBU can plagarising singers from ever participating in ESC….and who there does not want to be the nex Dima Bilan???

Ana
Ana
5 years ago
Reply to  srulik

He’s pathetic, I don’t think Russia will ever consider him for Eurovision, even for money.

Talentina Monetta
Talentina Monetta
5 years ago

A “Party Shore” sized mess

Roelof Meesters
Roelof Meesters
5 years ago

This is super sad. He didn’t even try hahaha. Everything is the same from Miki’s ESC performance, even the way the lights move. EVEN IN THE WAY THE F*CKING LIGHTS MOVE.

Anita
Anita
5 years ago

Miklos Josef is a very creative and skillful person – he wrote the song, performs it, he produced it and the video etc… Listen to this acoustic version https://www.eurovision.de/videos/2018/Mikolas-Josef-Lie-To-Me-Akustikversion,tschechien484.html

Digital Style
5 years ago

By the way, could anybody translate the lyrics?

Digital Style
5 years ago

You can write a song in the style of Lie To Me without so blatantly plagiarising it. This is so obviously based on Mikolas and he does not even try to put his own flair on the song. I’d sue if I were Miki.

Héctor
Héctor
5 years ago

While “Lie to Me” has some resemblance to Jason Derulo, this is a freaking copy of “Lie to me”, how idiot has to be someone to literally copy something that has been listen by millions of people. Don’t know, maybe he’s a daddy’s guy, who is always protected by his father’s money. I mean, he’s playing to be an artist, because he has zero charisma and I can’t even hear his vocals with those backvocals so high. Shame. Urkiss you are pathetic.

EDIT: I didn’t read the comments before writing, but I see everyone is thinking the same.

Alex M
Alex M
5 years ago
Reply to  Héctor

From what I’ve heard from russians – he actually IS protected by his father’s money.

Khav
Khav
5 years ago

why anyone would want to steal this trash song along with the cringy performance is beyond me

Nico
Nico
5 years ago
Reply to  Khav

Why would anyone write dumb hate comments, when people surely have way better things to do, that’s what is way beyond me!

Davve
Davve
5 years ago

I dont know anything about this, but to me it looks like he is basically copying everything from Mikolas performance. It seems like the show is a non individual performance show but more so a non professional copycat kind of show… I think there are some lack in communication here. he can not seariously say that he is not copying Mikolas.

Dustin
Dustin
5 years ago

Yuck. He’s like a wreck version of Lie to Me, esp. the dance moves. The chorus and the arrangement were similar af. But I can’t understand Russian so I’m not sure if the lyrics in a similar meaning as well.

Json
Json
5 years ago
Reply to  Dustin

I’m Russian and trust me, these lyrics are pure trash. And everyone hates this guy in Russia, he’s on TV only because of his father

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
5 years ago

Mikolas plagiarized Jason Derülo tho

Digital Style
5 years ago

No. Not really. He just wrote a song that had similar instrumentation. This song is VERY CLEARLY a copy of Mikolas’ song as it is nearly entirely the same.

Nico
Nico
5 years ago

You know there is a difference between “similar sounding instrumentation” and “plagiarism”? The first is actually very common, since it’s incredibly difficult to bring something entirely new to the table. You can always listen to a song that possibly reminds you of another. The same goes with lyrics here (fire – desire for example is heavily used, but just because someone else uses it too, he doesn’t plagiarize anything). The latter one is what UrKiss did.

esc1234
esc1234
5 years ago

How crazy and idiot can someone be, to copy EXACTLY something that 180 million People watched? If he thinks that People are stupid and they wont notice,, he should stay in his home. Sick

Roy Moreno
Roy Moreno
5 years ago

Any thoughts about Lie To Me reminding of Talk Dirty? Anyone?

Roy Moreno
Roy Moreno
5 years ago
Reply to  Roy Moreno

Don’t get me wrong, UrKiss literally copied Mikolas’ song!

Nico
Nico
5 years ago
Reply to  Roy Moreno

“reminding you of something” is NOT the same as plagiarism! Any kind of music today could remind you of something.

Roy Moreno
Roy Moreno
5 years ago
Reply to  Nico

I didn’t accuse Mikolas for plagiarism 🙁
People used to say that when he won the national final, just wanted to see those people now :\

Charles
Charles
5 years ago

Not only the Mikola’s song and style sound nothing but a recycled or forgotten leftover song that both Liam Payne and Jason Derülo decided not to record … but this Russian “in your face” copy cat makes the whole lack of originality in today’s music even more laughable. I’m grabbing my popcorn to watch this embarrassing comedy unfold …

Scientist
Scientist
5 years ago
Reply to  Charles

Still, it’s not a plagiarism (Talk dirty – Lie to Me), as the music or words are not the same

wuxiaworld
5 years ago

There are quite a few similarities between the two performances

Ern
Ern
5 years ago

It’s like watching a train-wreck !!

Still, this UrKiss is cute. At least I get some eye candy out of it.

Daryna
Daryna
5 years ago
Reply to  Ern

The fact is, he can’t even sing! He is not singing live, it’s pre-record. He is not talented, he is fake and that’s why nobody heard of him in Russia and Ukraine. Just watch his music videos on YouTube: they are awful and cheap. In addition, he and his brother sing songs about Putin and his politics. They have a lot of haters. I don’t understand: if you have such big money, just buy a good original song, make a good music video. But they prefer to steal.

Ana
Ana
5 years ago
Reply to  Daryna

It seems like his daddy gave him some limited pocket money, so it was enough to buy performance spots on big events and fake views on youtube, but not enough to buy original songs.

Ern
Ern
5 years ago
Reply to  Daryna

I didn’t say he could sing.

I said he was cute to look at …. lol

srulik
srulik
5 years ago
Reply to  Ern

he is very good looking, what makes this even more so horrible!

Ern
Ern
5 years ago
Reply to  srulik

Yes, good point!

He should use his family connections to become a lawyer or businessman, or maybe a politician.

His attempt to become an entertainer is just ….. well, sad.

Marcelo
Marcelo
5 years ago

You can’t get more “daddy’s boy” vibe from this. I mean, his dad probably built his entire career and with now two plagiarism accusations. Yeah, this guy seems like no talent at all. And there’s probably more talented people in Russia still trying hard to make the jump and enter the business. That’s sad.

Escphbelgium
Escphbelgium
5 years ago

At this point, I am more understanding why some Russians want a music career in USA, UK, or Sweden

Daryna
Daryna
5 years ago
Reply to  Escphbelgium

Russian show-business is a mess. They have a lot of old-fashioned singers that nobody listens to and young talents just can’t make a career.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
5 years ago
Reply to  Daryna

That’s because no one buys CDs anymore there, iTunes and Apple Music aren’t widely used, and Spotify isn’t available

Seb
Seb
5 years ago

That shows that what Mikolas is doing is not easy. People should think twice before saying fast food.

EscAU
EscAU
5 years ago

was disappointed when party shore ended up being just ‘flattering’, mikolas needs to sue!

ohhannac
ohhannac
5 years ago

That it so unbelievably bad, but also so terrible in terms of the performance and the audience that it is quite amusing that they rolled with it. There is no way they can argue that this isn’t a rip off of Mikolas Josef, everything about it is the same and trying to be a copy of the original. It is the budget version with non of the fun, charm or talent of Mikolas. I have no words, I don’t know whether to find this hilarious or offensive because it is sooooooooo bad!

Aaron
Aaron
5 years ago

There’s “Your Face Sounds Familiar” and then there is this.

Jeje
Jeje
5 years ago

Kind of related- dosen’t this song sound like hovig’s gravity? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bxJYdIW5F3Q

John
John
5 years ago

Where’s the backpack? Mikolas has a record company with lots of lawyers to deal with this.

Jo.
Jo.
5 years ago

Set his camel in the mud.

Digital Style
5 years ago
Reply to  Jo.

And he la la la

EFL
EFL
5 years ago

They HAVE to copyright strike this video… it has actually been gaining traction in Russia recently…

Katy
Katy
5 years ago

The Russians are aware of the plagiarism thing btw. The like/dislike bar on his MuzTV awards performance is quite telling. But Mikolas should sue regardless…

LJO
LJO
5 years ago

Well, it’s obviously the same song, I hope they can do something about it.

Shelly
Shelly
5 years ago

It’s blatant plagiarism

Danny
Danny
5 years ago

The quality of the pop music in there is beyond horrible, only talentless people with strong connections get to perform on big events and played on the radio. This MuzTV show was literally a HORROR SHOW. It wasn’t even funny, just plain BAD.

Polegend Godgarina
Polegend Godgarina
5 years ago
Reply to  Danny

There are some exceptions but yea the Russian pop music industry has been among the worst in Europe in terms of songs lately… in the 90s/early 00s it was great