Miley Cyrus Sued for Allegedly Copying Bruno Mars in Grammy-Winning Song

Pop star Miley Cyrus is facing a lawsuit over her hit song “Flowers.” The legal action, filed on September 16, comes from Tempo Music Investments, which holds the rights to Bruno Mars’ popular track “When I Was Your Man.”

The lawsuit claims there are numerous “striking similarities” between the two songs. According to the court documents, the combination and number of these similarities suggest that “Flowers” could not have come into existence without the influence of “When I Was Your Man.”

Cyrus’s team has not publicly responded to the lawsuit as of now. It’s worth noting that Bruno Mars himself is not a plaintiff in the case.

In the lawsuit, it is argued that “Flowers” replicates several melodic, harmonic, and lyrical components of “When I Was Your Man.” Specifically, the lawsuit highlights that the opening vocal line of the chorus in “Flowers” begins and finishes on the same chords found in the opening vocal line of the verse in Mars’ song, which was released back in 2012.

Cyrus collaborated with songwriters Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack to create “Flowers,” both of whom are also named as defendants in the lawsuit. Impressively, Cyrus won her first two Grammy awards for this song.

The legal documents state, “Any fan of Bruno Mars’ ‘When I Was Your Man’ knows that Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ did not achieve all of that success on its own.” They assert that the song mirrors numerous aspects of Mars’ hit, including the melodic pitch design, sequence of the verse, and specific elements of the chorus.

Tempo Music Investments is now seeking an unspecified amount in damages and is requesting that Cyrus and the other defendants cease any reproduction, distribution, or public performance of “Flowers.”