Miley Cyrus Sued for Copyright Infringement Over 'Flowers,' Accused of Copying Bruno Mars Song
Tempo Music Investments alleges that Cyrus' "Flowers" intentionally copied Mars' 2012 hit "When I Was Your Man."
Miley Cyrus faces a lawsuit over one of her biggest hit songs.
According to TMZ, the 31-year-old singer is being sued for copyright infringement by Tempo Music Investments, a portfolio company that claims to own a share of the copyright for Bruno Mars’ hit, “When I Was Your Man.”
Cyrus’ “Flowers,” released last January, made headlines for seemingly being a response to Mars’ 2012 single and was allegedly aimed at her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth.
The lyrics of the respective tracks reveal similarities: Mars opens the chorus with, “I should’ve bought you flowers and held your hand” while Cyrus sings “I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand.”
While Mars mournfully sings about his regret for not taking his former lover dancing and giving her all of his hours, Cyrus triumphantly declares that she can take herself dancing and talk to herself for hours.
In the lawsuit reviewed by TMZ, Tempo Music reportedly claims that there are several musical similarities in melody, harmony, and chorus between the two songs and accuses the former Hannah Montana star of “intentionally copying” the 24K Magic hitmaker.
"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,’” the lawsuit reads, per TMZ.
Mars, born Peter Gene Hernandez, along with his co-writers for “When I Was Your Man” are not credited for “Flowers.” He is not named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.
“Flowers” became a career-defining hit for Cyrus and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 last January. The single helped earn her her first-ever Grammys in February, taking home trophies for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.
Tempo Music is seeking unspecified damages and want to ban Cyrus from distributing or performing “Flowers.”
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