Miley Cyrus’s Grammy-winning song ‘Flowers’ has found itself at the center of a copyright infringement lawsuit. Tempo Music Investments, a company that holds a stake in the rights to Bruno Mars’s 2013 hit ‘When I Was Your Man,’ claims that ‘Flowers’ is a blatant rip-off of Mars’s song. The lawsuit, filed on September 16th in Los Angeles, highlights the undeniable similarities between the two tracks, particularly in their opening sections.
Tempo Music Investments acquired the songwriting catalog of Philip Lawrence, who collaborated on ‘When I Was Your Man,’ in 2020, giving them a share of the song’s copyright. According to court documents obtained by People, the company asserts that the “striking similarities” between the two songs were immediately apparent upon ‘Flowers’ release. They point out that the melody, harmony, and lyrical elements of the songs bear an uncanny resemblance, particularly in their opening sections. The lawsuit boldly states that the sheer number and combination of these similarities leave no doubt that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man’.
While Bruno Mars is not personally named in the lawsuit, Tempo Music Investments is seeking to hold Miley Cyrus, songwriters Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack, and record labels like Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Walmart, and Target accountable. They aim to halt the sale and public performance of ‘Flowers’ and are pursuing significant financial damages, though the exact amount has not been disclosed.
