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Why Is Miley Cyrus Being Sued Over Her Song ‘Flowers’? Inside Lawsuit Involving Bruno Mars
More than one year after Miley Cyrus released her hit song “Flowers,” she is now being sued over the song and was accused of copying Bruno Mars‘ 2012 track ‘When I Was Your Man.” Why is Miley being sued and what is she accused of in the lawsuit?
Why Is Miley Cyrus Being Sued for ‘Flowers’?
Tempo Music Investments — which owns a share of the copyright for Bruno’s song after it acquired songwriter Philip Lawrence‘s music catalog — claimed in a lawsuit filed on September 16, 2024, that many “recognized the striking similarities” between “When I Was Your Man” and “Flowers,” according to legal documents viewed by Us Weekly.
“It is undeniable based on the combination and number of similarities between the two recordings that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man,’” the documents, which were filed in Los Angeles court, stated, claiming that Miley’s song “duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic and lyrical elements” of Bruno’s hit.
According to the filing, the plaintiff has accused Miley of “copyright infringement arising out of Defendants’ unauthorized reproduction, distribution and exploitation of ‘When I Was Your Man.’”
“Flowers” songwriters Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack are also listed in the lawsuit, though Bruno was not named as a plaintiff.
The company has asked that Miley and the defendants listed in the lawsuit stop reproducing, distributing or publicly performing the song, which was the lead single on her 2023 album, Endless Summer Vacation. The song eventually won the Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance honors at the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Tempo Music Investments also asked for monetary damages, which will be determined at a trial.
Has Miley Cyrus Responded to the Lawsuit?
While the lawsuit has made headlines, Miley has not publicly commented on the lawsuit as of September 17, 2024.
Has Bruno Mars Responded to the Lawsuit?
Similar to the “Wrecking Ball” singer, Bruno has also remained quiet about the situation.
Fans Have Pointed Out the Similarities to ‘Flowers’ and ‘When I Was Your Man’
After Miley released the song, several fans noticed that “Flowers” and “When I Was Your Man” have similar lyrics.
“I should have bought you flowers, And held your hand. Should have gave you all my hours, When I had the chance,” Bruno sings in his track. “Take you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance / Now my baby’s dancing, But she’s dancing with another man.”
Meanwhile, Miley seemingly responds to a man making the same comments in her song. “I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand / Talk to myself for hours / Say things you don’t understand,” she sings. “I can take myself dancing / And I can hold my own hand / Yeah, I can love me better than you can.”
Fans continued to speculate that “Flowers” was inspired by “When I Was Your Man” after rumors circulated that Miley’s ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth, dedicated the song to her before they wed in 2018. Neither Miley nor Liam have commented on if the rumor is true.
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