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Miley Cyrus is reportedly being sued for copyright infringement over her 2023 hit single “Flowers” by a company that claims it owns a share of the copyright to pop singer Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.”
Released as the lead single from Cyrus’ eighth studio album, endless summer vacation,“Flowers” is one of the pop star’s biggest hits, topping charts around the world and winning two Grammys at the 2024 ceremony, for record of the year and best pop solo performance. It also received a nomination for Song of the Year.
Released in 2012, “When I Was Your Man” became a No. 1 hit in the US and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance.
According to TMZ, The lawsuit was filed by Tempo Music Investments, which alleged that the song copied Cyrus’ chord progressions, mirrored some of the lyrics featured in Mars’ ballad, and claimed substantial similarities in melody, harmony and chorus.
“Given the number of similarities and numbers between the two records, it is undeniable that there would be no ‘Flowers’ without ‘When I Was Your Man,'” court documents state.
Tempo Music is reportedly seeking unspecified damages and to stop Cyrus, 31, from distributing “flowers” or performing the song live.
Tuesday, 38, is not listed as a plaintiff in the suit.
The Independent Representatives of Cyrus and Mars have been contacted for comment.
In 2019, Variety Warner Music Group and Providence Equity Partners plan to invest $650m (£482m) in recorded music and music-publishing catalogs through Tempo Music Investments, a newly established platform.
Three years later, it was reported Billboard Mars has sold part of his catalog to the music publishing company Warner Chapel Music, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
By the time “Flowers” was released, Cyrus’ fans noticed obvious similarities to “When I Was Your Man,” which her ex-husband, actor Liam Hemsworth, was rumored to have once dedicated to her.
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In her song, Cyrus seems to be flipping the lyrics of Mars: “I should’ve bought you flowers/ I should’ve held your hand/ I should’ve given you all my time/ When I had the chance/ I should’ve taken you to every party/ ‘Cause all you wanted to do was dance/ Now my child’s dance/ But she dances with another man.
The lyrics to Flowers include the chorus: “I can buy myself flowers/ I’ll write my name in the sand/ I’ll talk to myself for hours/ I’ll say things I don’t understand/ I’ll dance by myself/ I can hold my hand/ Yeah, I can love myself better than you.
Fans also noted that Cyrus uses a melody similar to that of the Mars tune in her chorus.
Cyrus was credited as a co-writer on “Flowers” alongside songwriter and producer Alde (real name Gregory Hein) and songwriter/producer Michael Pollock.
“When I Was Your Man” was written by Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt.
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