Miley Cyrus has been named in a lawsuit regarding alleged copyright infringement over her 2023 hit Grammy-award winning self-love “Flowers.” Tempo Music Investments has accused the singer of copying Bruno Mars’ 2013 hit “When I Was Your Man,” claiming that the two songs have “striking similarities.” While Cyrus is being sued over Bruno’s song, Bruno Mars has not been the one to file the suit and has not been named as the plaintiff.
Vulture has reported that the lawsuit claims that Cyrus’ “Flowers,” which has often be interpreted as a response to “When I Was Your Man,” bears lyrical similarities. In Mars’ song he sings, “I shoulda bought you flowers, and held your hand” and “Take you to every party, cause all you wanted to do was dance,” where Cyrus sings “I can buy myself flowers,” and “I can take myself dancing, and I can hold my own hand.” The lyrical connection and references are the basis of the suit that claims that the two songs share the same melody, harmony and chorus.
People obtained the lawsuit which read, “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 suit reportedly claims. We’ve just got to wait for the flowers (the lawsuit) to grow (get in front of a judge).” The complaint also read, “Accordingly, Plaintiff brings this action for copyright infringement arising out of Defendants’ unauthorized reproduction, distribution and exploitation of ‘When I Was Your Man.’”
Tempo Music Investments owns a share of the copyright of Mars’ hit track following its acquisition of songwriter Philip Lawrence’s music catalog. The company also lists songwriters Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack who co-wrote Cyrus’ song, liable. Other defendants named include Sony Music Publishing and Apple. The accusation also claims that the opening vocal line of Miley Cyrus’ chorus begins and ends in the same chords as “When I Was Your Man.” Tempo is seeking damages, but has not yet determined an amount, along with demanding Cyrus to stop reproducing, distributing or publicly performing “Flowers.” The song won record of the year at the 2024 Grammy awards.
