Miley Cyrus responds to plagiarism claims over "Flowers" and Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man"

Miley Cyrus is fighting back against accusations that her hit song "Flowers" copied elements from Bruno Mars' 2013 track "When I Was Your Man." The allegations, made by Tempo Music Investments, claim Cyrus' Grammy-winning song infringes on the copyright of Mars' hit. Tempo, which holds a partial copyright to "When I Was Your Man" due to acquiring the catalog of the song’s co-writer Philip Lawrence, is not affiliated with Mars or the other songwriters, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt.

In a legal response filed on Wednesday, Cyrus' legal team disputed the claims, arguing that the similarities between the two songs are not sufficient to warrant a plagiarism charge. The attorneys emphasized the need for an expert to conduct a detailed comparison of the two tracks, as reviewed by Entertainment Weekly. Cyrus' lawyers further filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, stating that Tempo lacks the legal standing to sue since it only represents one of the co-writers of the song and does not hold exclusive rights to it.

Tempo’s complaint points to numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical similarities between "Flowers" and "When I Was Your Man." The lawsuit suggests that "Flowers" could not exist without the influence of Mars’ track. Specifically, the lyrics of both songs have been noted for their striking parallels. In "Flowers," Cyrus sings, "I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand," while Mars’ lyrics include, "I should've bought you flowers / And held your hand."

The similarities were quickly pointed out by listeners when "Flowers" was released in January 2023. Cyrus, however, has explained that she crafted the song with a different emotional tone, originally considering lyrics that conveyed a more traditional sense of heartbreak.