A new song is blaring from Danes' speakers, reminding people of a well-known 2000s hit.
Annika's new song 'Hvis Jeg Er Uden Dig' is currently at the top of the charts, and it sounds strikingly similar to Carrie Underwood's 2005 hit single 'Before He Cheats'. Several users on the social media platform TikTok have pointed this out.
Soundvenue's music journalist Kjartan Stolberg has also noticed this.
"There are some very clear melodic similarities in the songs at the end of the verse and the beginning of the chorus," he says.
At the start of the chorus, Annika sings "Men jeg står herude på en åben vej" to a melody that sounds almost identical to Carrie Underwood's chorus with the lyrics "I dug my key into the side".
You can listen to Annika's song here ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWnc7x_ArF0 ) and Carrie Underwood's song here ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSy8yy-mr8 ).
Annika Wedderkopp released the new single last Friday, and on the same evening she performed it live at P3 Guld. ( https://www.dr.dk/om-dr/nyheder/se-billederne-annika-fik-p3-s-pureste-guld-af-sit-store-idol )
In 2024, Annika won the 'P3 Talentet' award at P3 Guld. This year, she won the main prize, the 'P3 Prisen 2026'. (Photo: © Lasse Lagoni, DR)
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A new sound from Annika
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Kjartan Stolberg admits he didn't notice the similarity between the songs the first time he heard it. Carrie Underwood is not among the artists he listens to most.
But when he opened TikTok and saw several users pointing out the similarities, the common features also became clear to the music journalist.
"When I started browsing, I noticed there are some melodic stylistic traits that resemble this country song," he says.
© Ritzau Scanpix
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Who is Annika?
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* The 21-year-old singer Annika Wedderkop is known by the stage name Annika
* As a child, she participated in both MGP and several feature films
* She truly broke through with her debut single "Knuser hjerter" in 2024
* In 2025, she opened the Orange Stage at Roskilde Festival as the youngest ever
It was something entirely different that first caught his attention about the song. It is far more rocking than her previous tracks.
"It suits her voice. I think Annika has made one of her best songs ever," says Kjartan Stolberg, and he sees the similarities with Carrie Underwood's hit as something fun:
"You can have fun with friends by singing one song over the other while it plays. It's absolutely not difficult," he laughs.
He explains that it is the vocal melody that links the songs, because instrumentally they are very different.
Carrie Underwood released the hit song 'Before He Cheats' in 2005, which has since won several awards. (Photo: © Angela Weiss, AFP/Ritzau Scanpix)
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Everyone does it
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Kjartan Stolberg sees artists constantly being inspired by each other.
"I can't rule out that Annika has been inspired by Carrie Underwood," he says.
At the same time, he emphasizes that this kind of thing happens all the time in the music world. Especially abroad, but also in Denmark.
Read also: Music expert calls plagiarism accusations against Gob 'silly' ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/musikekspert-kalder-plagiat-anklager-mod-gobs-fjollet )
The question is therefore not whether one may be inspired by other artists. The question is rather where the line for plagiarism lies.
"My gut feeling tells me we are not dealing with anything legally problematic. It involves a relatively limited section of the song," Kjartan Stolberg assesses regarding Annika's new song.
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Professor: Everyone builds on their predecessors
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Colleagues describe Morten Rosenmeier, a professor of copyright law at the University of Copenhagen, as the best when it comes to music rights. However, he will not comment specifically on 'Hvis Jeg Er Uden Dig'.
But he assesses that it is most likely not a case of plagiarism.
"In nine out of ten cases, the similarity is due to the works being built from common building blocks," he explains.
According to the professor, a song can be protected by copyright if there is something original or creative in it.
"The originality can be found in several different places. It can be in the melody, and it can be in the various voices or chords in the song," he says.
One can therefore infringe copyright if one imitates a work, for example by taking an original chord progression.
"But often what sounds like an infringement is not in reality, because the musical work contains something that can be characterized as common building blocks," the professor emphasizes.
At the same time, Morten Rosenmeier explains how it is not unusual for new songs to sound familiar.
"Everyone builds on their predecessors, and everyone is inspired by others," he says.
'Hvis Jeg Er Uden Dig' is produced by the singer's boyfriend, Anton Westerlin, and Marius Iversen. DR has contacted Universal Music Denmark for a comment from Annika and Anton Westerlin. They have not responded to the inquiry.
Earlier this month, the English singer Olivia Dean was accused of copying Bill Withers' hit 'Just The Two Of Us'. You can read more here:
Can you hear the similarity? Olivia Dean hit accused of borrowing too much from soul classic ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/kan-du-hoere-ligheden-olivia-dean-hit-anklages-laane-meget-fra-soulklassiker )
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