unilad homepage
unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Music
  • Technology
  • Film and TV
    • News
    • DC Comics
    • Disney
    • Marvel
    • Netflix
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Miley Cyrus sued over award-winning song Flowers for allegedly copying Bruno Mars
Home>Music>News
Updated 14:54 17 Sep 2024 GMT+1Published 10:00 17 Sep 2024 GMT+1

Miley Cyrus sued over award-winning song Flowers for allegedly copying Bruno Mars

According to the lawsuit, Miley Cyrus' hit 'would not exist' without the Bruno Mars song it's accused of ripping off

Joe Yates

Joe Yates

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: Getty/Kevin Winter/Getty/Aaron J. Thornton

Topics: Miley Cyrus, Music, US News

Joe Yates
Joe Yates

Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

X

@JMYjourno

Advert

Advert

Advert

We all know that Miley Cyrus can buy herself flowers... but she may need to buy herself an attorney instead.

That's because the 'Wrecking Ball' has been slapped with a lawsuit over her award-winning song 'Flowers' - accused of copying a Bruno Mars tune.

Miley Cyrus carrying a basket of flowers back in 2017 (Matthew McNulty/Getty Images)
Miley Cyrus carrying a basket of flowers back in 2017 (Matthew McNulty/Getty Images)

Bruno Mars, whose real name is Peter Gene Hernandez, is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which has been filed by Tempo Music Investments, a company that owns a share of the copyright for Mars' song 'When I Was Your Man'.

Advert

When the 31-year-old Hannah Montana star released the song 'Flowers' in January last year, similarities were immediately drawn with Mars' own hit single.

Cyrus' inspiration for the song came after her split with Liam Hemsworth, the Australian actor known for his starring role in The Hunger Games as Gale Hawthorne.

The pair married in 2018 but just a year later they filed for divorce.

According to TMZ, who have seen the lawsuit, Tempo Music has alleged that 'Flowers' is 'intentionally copying' 'When I Was Your Man'.

The investment company further alleged that the melody, harmony and chorus of Cyrus' song is 'substantially similar' to the verse in Mars' song.

Fortunately, Bruno Mars isn't the plaintiff behind the lawsuit against Miley Cyrus (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NARAS)
Fortunately, Bruno Mars isn't the plaintiff behind the lawsuit against Miley Cyrus (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for NARAS)

As per TMZ, the docs 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'."

Now, the company want Cyrus to be banned from performing 'Flowers' at her future concerts and hope she will not even be allowed to distribute the record that landed her a Grammy.

While the Rolling Stone, who also obtained a copy of the lawsuit, stated that it read in part: “Any fan of Bruno Mars’ ‘When I Was Your Man’ knows that Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ did not achieve all of that success on its own.

"‘Flowers’ duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements of ‘When I Was Your Man,’ including the melodic pitch design and sequence of the verse, the connecting bass-line, certain bars of the chorus, certain theatrical music elements, lyric elements, and specific chord progressions."

Liam Hemsworth and Cyrus pictured just months before their split in 2019 (Presley Ann/WireImage)
Liam Hemsworth and Cyrus pictured just months before their split in 2019 (Presley Ann/WireImage)

To dive into the similarities, the chorus for 38-year-old Mars' song goes: "I should have bought you flowers, and held your hand.

"Should have gave you all my hours, when I had the chance.

"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.”

While Cyrus' lyrics are: "I can buy myself flowers, write my name in the sand.

"Talk to myself for hours, say things you don't understand.

"I can take myself dancing, and I can hold my own hand.

"Yeah, I can love me better than you can.”

Mars and Cyrus are yet to speak out on the lawsuit.

When contacted by UNILAD, Miley Cyrus' representatives refused to comment.

Choose your content:

a day ago
2 days ago
  • Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
    a day ago

    Billy Idol picks up Lifetime Achievement Award at AMAs and issues powerful message to young musicians

    While the modern pop elite chose to stay home, 80s rock icon Billy Idol showed the room exactly how it’s done at the 2026 AMAs.

    Music
  • Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
    a day ago

    AMAs fans fume over lacklustre show as none of the most nominated artists show up for ceremony

    Big name nominees like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Lady Gaga all swerved this year's ceremony

    Music
  • David Becker/Getty Images
    a day ago

    Queen Latifah makes long awaited return to hosting the AMA’s after 3 decades away

    The music legend last hosted the show alongside Tom Jones and country singer Lorrie Morgan back in 1995

    Music
  • Ethan Miller/Getty Images
    2 days ago

    Attendees at 2026 AMAs will be subject to strict rules about their clothes at Vegas event

    It's safe to say that Bianca Censori's famous 2025 Grammys ensemble wouldn't be allowed...

    Music
  • Taylor Swift reacts to Miley Cyrus winning iHeartRadio award after 'no shade' comment
  • Billy Ray Cyrus issues scathing response to woman claiming she's Miley Cyrus' biological mother in lawsuit
  • Miley Cyrus slammed for 'mean' behavior at fan event with footage showing horrifically awkward interactions
  • Miley Cyrus demands dismissal of Flowers lawsuit after being accused of copying Bruno Mars