PremiumKannada rapper Chandan Shetty’s Cotton Candy sparks plagiarism row
Chandan Shetty is alleged to have lifted parts of the tune of a 2018 Kannada song called Y Bull and replicated them in Cotton Candy, which he refutes
Last Updated: 09.23 PM, Jan 11, 2025
Kannada rapper-composer Chandan Shetty’s latest song Cotton Candy is caught in a plagiarism row. Yuvraj YBull has alleged that Chandan has copied portions of his 2018 party song Y Bull and is looking at filing a copyright case. Chandan, of course, has refuted these claims.
Chandan Shetty refutes Cotton Candy plagiarism claims
“As a musician with over 80 crore views for his music, I am mindful to not copy or even be inspired by other tunes. I know that’s wrong. I was not aware of the song Y Bull; if I was, I would not have used a similar tune for Cotton Candy. It’s purely coincidental that there’s a similarity between the songs,” said Chandan to multiple Kannada news channels, adding that he is ready to fight the allegation legally.
Chandan further explained that there is a folk number with a similar tune, which, may have played on his subconscious mind while composing Cotton Candy. He also stresses that it is not uncommon for composers to have similar ideas, but says that it is unlikely for someone to pick an ‘unsuccessful’ tune and make it his own.
Chandan cites the example of his own composition called Ice Candy for a movie called Digbayam, which he created 5 years ago. “If you listen to Ice Candy and then to Oo Antava Mawa from Pushpa by Devi Sri Prasad, they will also seem similar. But that does not mean that Devi Sri Prasad went looking for my song and then copied it. My composition was not a success back in the day. No composer in their right mind will touch a flop tune,” he explains.
The rapper’s final word on the issue is that he will fight the allegation legally and is hopeful of a positive outcome in his favour. “Popular singer Ed Sheeran was once alleged to have plagiarised Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On for his song Thinking Out Loud, but won the copyright suit. I trust our legal system,” he signs off.