Des'ree wins pounds 2m in Janet Jackson song copying war.

STUNNING soul singer Des'ree is back with a new album and a message for fellow pop stars - lift my tunes at your peril!

The 29-year-old Londoner (left) has just won a legal battle with superstar Janet Jackson, who was accused of "borrowing" the melody on her worldwide smash Got Til It's Gone from one of Des'ree's songs.

"It would have been nice if she'd asked permission first," says Des'ree. "I would have been flattered someone like Janet wanted to use something I'd written."

Not many people would have dared challenge one of the biggest names in the music biz. "At first I thought 'que sera', but the more I heard it the more annoyed I got," she says.

Despite the wranglings, Des'ree insists there are no hard feelings between herself and Janet. "It never got nasty on a personal level. We've reached a settlement."

The out-of-court deal means that Des'ree is now credited as a songwriter on Janet's album and will receive a quarter of all royalties from the song. Music industry figures indicate she can expect to make at least pounds 2m.

"I don't want to be seen as a money-grabbing whinger but I think it would have reflected badly on me if I'd just sat back and done nothing," says Des'ree, whose new single, 'Life,' is out next week.

"It's ironic, actually, because my parents always wanted me to go to university and become a lawyer."

At 21, Des'ree was an overnight success, landing a record deal with Sony before even playing a gig and supporting Simply Red at Wembley stadium in front of 80,000 fans.

"Experiences like that toughen you up. These days I'm ready for anything life can throw at me," she says.

And is she expecting more courtroom battles?

"Well now you mention it, we are looking at a couple of other songs that sound remarkably like mine but I can't say any more," she says, laughing.

That news might just interest a certain Swedish lady and three young girls from Moss Side.

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Title Annotation:	Features
Author:	Hyland, Ian
Publication:	Sunday Mirror (London, England)
Date:	May 31, 1998
Words:	339
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