Miley Cyrus is embroiled in a legal battle over her Grammy-winning song Flowers. On September 16, Tempo Music Investments, one of the leading music investment platforms, filed a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus in federal court in Los Angeles. According to the lawsuit, the 2023 hit song contains parts of the 2013 song by American singer Bruno Mars When I Was Your Husband. Charges were also brought against the film’s screenwriters, Michael Pollack and Gregory Hein Flowers. Sony Music Publishing, Target, Walmart, Apple and other companies have been accused of distributing the song. The lawsuit claims so Flowers consists of the unauthorized “exploitation” of When I Was Your Man, according to a report by The Guardian.
Lawsuit Claims: ‘All Bruno Mars Fans’ When I Was Your Husband know that Miley Cyrus Flowers did not achieve all this success alone. Flowers copy numerous melodic, harmonic and lyrical elements of When I Was Your Man, including the melodic pitch and sequence of the verse, the unifying bass line, certain parts of the chorus, certain musical theater elements, lyrical elements and certain chord progressions. ”
The lawsuit argued that it is indisputable based on the combination and similarities between the two recordings Flowers wouldn’t exist without When I Was Your Husband. “With FlowersCyrus, Hein and Pollack have created a derivative work When I Was Your Husband without permission.”
Bruno Mars is not listed as a plaintiff. Tempo Music claims that the company owns a portion When I Was Your Husband. It was bought from the song’s writer, Philip Lawrence. Tempo Music is currently investigating unspecified damages Flowers has caused. They also plan to ban Miley Cyrus from copying, distributing or performing the song in public.
Flowers is the first single from Miley Cyrus’ 2023 album Endless summer vacation. After its debut, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, breaking Spotify’s record for the most streams in a week with over 100 million listens.
