Yesterday, The New York Daily News pointed out that Beyoncé's performance of 'Run The World (Girls)' at the Billboard Music Awards was a bit like one that the Italian pop star Lorella Cuccarini did last year.
Both performances start with the singers dancing and interacting with computerised graphics against a white screen, and then "within seconds of each other, both singers play with animated boxes and globes." Then, while Beyoncé "pretends to eat the world, Earth floats above Cuccarini on the screen." The performances also both feature the prominent use of wings.
Beyonce has now responded to the accusations.
"My makeup artist showed me the performance of Lorella Cuccarini a year ago, and it inspired me so much," she told AOL Music. "I then met with the talented people who worked on it. The technology and concept were so genius. Thank god for YouTube or I would have never been exposed to something so inspiring. I never worked so hard on anything in my life as that performance for the Billboard Awards."
A YouTube user known as 'gagaloveromance' — and yes this is all a bit rich coming from a Gaga fan — has put together a comparison video here, so we can all have a look and see what we think.
