You can build your query string using URI::Escape as suggested by BazB, but you can also do something like this:

$a = CGI->new({'id'=>'A-001',
               'song'=>'A song',
               'performers'=> 'Ike & Tina Turner'});

print $a->query_string, "\n";
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Ciao, Valerio

Update: merlyn's solution below is better