A new lawsuit has been filed against Miley Cyrus, alleging that her Grammy-winning song “Flowers” contains elements that were copied from Bruno Mars’ 2013 hit single “When I Was Your Man.” The lawsuit, filed by Tempo Music Investments in Los Angeles federal court, claims that “Flowers” includes unauthorized exploitation of various elements of Mars’ song. Tempo Music Investments owns a portion of the U.S. copyrights to “When I Was Your Man” after acquiring them from Philip Lawrence, who co-wrote the song with Mars, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt. The lawsuit also names Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, Walmart, and other companies as defendants who distributed “Flowers.”
The lawsuit alleges that “Flowers” duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements of “When I Was Your Man,” including specific elements such as melodic pitch design, bass-line, chorus bars, theatrical music elements, lyric elements, and chord progressions. It claims that “Flowers” would not exist without the influence of “When I Was Your Man,” and that the song is a derivative work without authorization. The lawsuit specifically names Cyrus’ fellow songwriters Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack as co-defendants in the case. Cyrus has not responded to the allegations as of yet.
“Flowers” was a hit song from Cyrus’ eighth album, Endless Summer Vacation, and was inspired by her divorce from actor Liam Hemsworth. The song held the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was seen as a declaration of independence for Cyrus. The success of the song led to Cyrus winning her first Grammy award. However, the allegations in the lawsuit now threaten to overshadow her achievement and success with the song.
Tempo Music Investments is seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial, as well as a court order prohibiting Cyrus and the other defendants from reproducing, distributing, or publicly performing “Flowers.” The outcome of the lawsuit remains to be seen and could have significant implications for Cyrus and her fellow songwriters. The lawsuit highlights the complexities and legal challenges that can arise in the music industry when allegations of copyright infringement are made against successful artists. It serves as a reminder of the importance of ensuring that all elements of a song are original and do not infringe on the copyrights of others.
