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Miley Cyrus' record-breaking track "Flowers" dominated the music charts upon its release in January 2023. It won the singer her first Grammy, taking home two awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, but now, it's gotten her into some hot water legally.
© GettyMultiple outlets reported that a lawsuit was filed on Monday in Los Angeles federal court by partial copyright holder Tempo Music Investments. According to Deadline, the suit claims “Flowers” incorporates unauthorized elements of Bruno Mars’ 2012 ballad “When I Was Your Man.” Here's what you need to know about the legal dispute.
Is Bruno Mars Involved in the Lawsuit?
© Getty ImagesAlthough Bruno Mars is the singer of "When I Was Your Man," he is not listed as a plaintiff in the case. The investment platform states in the legal documents that it acquired "the copyright interests" to Bruno Mars' hit—written by Mars, 38, Philip Lawrence, 44, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt—"around 2020," per PEOPLE.
According to Deadline, the complaint names Cyrus' co-writers Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack as defendants. They also listed Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, Walmart, and several other companies involved in distributing the song.
Details of the Lawsuit
The lawsuit alleges that "Flowers" "duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements of 'When I Was Your Man,' including the melodic pitch design and sequence of the verse, the connecting bass line, certain bars of the chorus, certain theatrical music elements, lyric elements, and specific chord progressions," as stated in the court filing.
Additionally, the plaintiffs claim that "Flowers" "did not achieve all of that success on its own" and is a "derivative work" that would not exist without "When I Was Your Man." They further accuse Cyrus of "intentionally copying" the 2013 song.
According to TMZ, Tempo Music is seeking financial compensation from Cyrus and aims to prevent her from further distributing or performing "Flowers."
The Success of 'Flowers'
The stakes are high given the song’s massive success. "Flowers" set a Spotify record for the most-streamed song in a single week, with over 100 million streams, and it quickly surpassed 1 billion streams. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and held that position for several weeks. It also topped the charts worldwide, including in the UK, Australia, and Canada. At the time of this publishing, the official music video currently has 858,184,547 views on YouTube.
"When I Was Your Man," which was released 12 years ago in December 2012, with a music video following suit three months later in February 2013, has 1.4 billion views at the time of this publication. It was nominated for a Grammy and Billboard Music Award in 2014 but did not win either. But the song was a commercial success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of Mars' signature ballads.
While these are serious allegations, it's important to note that lawsuits involving music copyright can be complex and are ultimately decided by the courts. As of now, neither Cyrus nor her representatives have publicly commented on the lawsuit.
