Miley Cyrus is facing a lawsuit over claims that her hit single “Flowers” copied significant portions of Bruno Mars’ 2013 track “When I Was Your Man.” The suit was filed in Los Angeles federal court by Tempo Music Investments, a company that holds a portion of the rights to Mars’ song, which it purchased from co-writer Philip Lawrence.
Although Bruno Mars is not a plaintiff, Tempo Music alleges that “Flowers” contains numerous similarities to “When I Was Your Man.”
The lawsuit accuses Cyrus and her co-writers Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack of unauthorized “exploitation” of Mars’ song, pointing to overlapping melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements. Specifically, the suit claims similarities in the pitch design and sequence of the verse, the bass line, the chorus, and several chord progressions.
Additionally, major distributors like Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, and Walmart are named in the lawsuit for their involvement in distributing the song.
Tempo Music is seeking damages and an injunction to prevent Cyrus from performing, distributing, or reproducing “Flowers.” The company argues that the song’s success—highlighted by its eight-week run at No. 1 in the U.S. and 10 weeks in the UK—was partly due to its alleged similarities with Mars’ track.
Representatives for both Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
