Miley Cyrus and her team were accused of copying Bruno Mars’ song “When I Was Your Man” when composing the hit “Flowers”.

According to Rolling Stone on September 17, Tempo Music Investment filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles federal court against Miley Cyrus for “unlawfully exploiting” some elements in When I Was Your Man . The company’s representative said they owned part of the song after buying the copyright from Philip Lawrence – who co-wrote it with Bruno Mars, Ari Leviene and Andrew Wyatt. Music publishers including Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, Walmart are also on the list of defendants for distributing Flowers . The news agency said Bruno Mars is not the plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Temple Music argues that Flowers would not have won Record of the Year at the 2024 Grammys without Bruno Mars’ song. The company argues that her work copies many of the melodies, harmonies, and lyrics — including the pitch, sequence, chord progression, and other elements of the original song. “Based on the combination and number of similarities between the two recordings, it is undeniable that Flowers would not exist without When I Was Your Man ,” the complaint reads.

The company also named Cyrus’s co-lyricists Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack as defendants, alleging that the trio “created a derivative work of When I Was Your Man without permission.” The singer has not yet commented on the allegations.

In January 2023, Flowers was released and topped the Billboard charts for six weeks. Fans believed that this was a message from Miley Cyrus to her ex-husband – actor Liam Hemsworth – because the lyrics revolve around a girl becoming stronger after a breakup, and the song was released one day after his 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day. The chorus of the song is said to be a response to the content of When I Was Your Man because Hemsworth often sent this song to her. The chorus in Flowers :

“I can buy myself flowersWrite my name in the sandTalk to myself for hoursSay things you don’t understandI can take myself dancingAnd I can hold my own handYeah, I can love me better than you can”

(I can buy myself flowersWrite my name in the sandTalk to myself for hoursSay things you’ll never understandI can dance aloneHold my handYes, I can love myself more than you love me)

After Flowers was released, Bruno Mars’ old composition attracted attention due to the similarity of the lyrics between the two. When I Was Your Man is a ballad released in 2012, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2013. This is one of Bruno Mars’s hits, written about regretting letting the girl he loves go, hoping she will be happy with a new love. He wrote in the song:

“That I should have bought you flowersAnd held your handShould have gave you all my hoursWhen I had the chanceTake you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was danceNow my 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦’s dancingBut she’s dancing with another man”

(I should have given you flowersAnd held your handI should have spent every moment with youEvery chance I gotTook you to every party with meBecause I knew all you wanted was to danceNow the one I love is dancingBut with another man, not me)

Miley Cyrus, 32 years old, is an American singer and actress, famous for her role as Hannah Montana in the Disney series of the same name. The artist once had a rebellious period and was criticized by many people for her free lifestyle, performance style, and offensive dress. In March 2023, Cyrus returned to the music scene with her eighth studio album – Endless Summer , marking her return after three years since Plastic Hearts . Flowers is on this album.

Before breaking up with Liam Hemsworth in 2019, the two had been on and off several times over the course of 10 years . During their time together, Liam repeatedly expressed his displeasure with her way of dressing, performing 𝓈ℯ𝓍ily, and expressing her bi𝓈ℯ𝓍ual tendencies. After the divorce, Miley Cyrus dated blogger Kaitlynn Carter for two months, and had a 10-month relationship with singer Cody Simpson. She is currently dating a boyfriend six years her junior – Maxx Morando, drummer of the band Lily.

Bruno Mars (real name: Peter Gene Hernandez) is 39 years old, 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. The freedom and liveliness of the Hawaiian sea is naturally incorporated into Bruno’s songs, helping him become a contemporary music phenomenon. He has many products that have achieved record sales, won many major awards , and brought positive energy to listeners.