Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Miley Cyrus Is Being Sued For Allegedly Copying Bruno Mars’ Hit: “It Is Undeniable”
242

Miley Cyrus Is Being Sued For Allegedly Copying Bruno Mars’ Hit: “It Is Undeniable”

ADVERTISEMENT

Miley Cyrus is facing legal drama for allegedly copying one of Bruno Mars’ songs.

Tempo Music Investments filed a lawsuit against the 31-year-old popstar over copyright infringement, saying her chart-topping smash hit “Flowers” was copied from “When I Was Your Man”, sung by the 38-year-old fellow singer.

The company, which claimed to have ownership of a share of Bruno’s song, said in the lawsuit that the Hannah Montana star’s 2023 song has “many musical similarities” with the 2012 ballad.

Highlights
  • Miley Cyrus is being sued for allegedly copying Bruno Mars' song 'When I Was Your Man' in her hit 'Flowers'.
  • Tempo Music Investments filed the lawsuit, citing numerous musical similarities between the two tracks.
  • “Flowers duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements of ‘When I Was Your Man,'" the lawsuit said.
  • Bruno Mars was not mentioned as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

Tempo Music Investments filed a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus for allegedly copying Bruno Mars’ hit “When I Was Your Man”

Image credits: Miley Cyrus / Instagram

Image credits: Bruno Mars / Instagram

The “Uptown Funk” hitmaker was not mentioned as a plaintiff in the lawsuit filed on Monday, September 16, in Los Angeles federal court.

“Any fan of Bruno Mars’ ‘When I Was Your Man’ knows that Miley Cyrus’s ‘Flowers’ did not achieve all of that success on its own,” the lawsuit stated.

ADVERTISEMENT

“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,” it went on to say.

Co-writers Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack were also named in the lawsuit for the alleged unauthorized “exploitation” of the song.

The success of “Flowers” led to the songstress picking up her first couple of Grammys after decades in the business

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus)

Brands like Sony Music Publishing, Apple, Target, and Walmart were also mentioned for distributing the track.

In addition to unspecified damages, Tempo Music is seeking to prevent Miley from reproducing, distributing or performing the song in public.

“It is undeniable based on the combination and number of similarities between the two recordings that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man’,” the lawsuit continued. “With ‘Flowers’, Cyrus, Hein and Pollack have created a derivative work of ‘When I Was Your Man’ without authorization.”

ADVERTISEMENT

For the Tennessee-born singer, who gained entry into the industry at the age of 12 with her Disney show, “Flowers” was a career-defining song that saw her pick up her first set of Grammys this year. She won record of the year and best pop solo performance for the track.

“This song is dedicated to my fans & the steadfast self-love I wish for each of you. Forever grateful,” the 31-year-old singer wrote in a social media post following the song’s success

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus)

Although she said she was proud of herself, she felt her Grammy win was long overdue.

“No shade, but I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and this is my first time actually being taken seriously at the Grammys?” she told W Magazine in June this year.

“I’ve had a hard time figuring out what the measurement is there, because if we want to talk stats and numbers, then where the fuck was I? And if you want to talk, like, impact on culture, then where the fuck was I? This is not about arrogance. I am proud of myself.”

ADVERTISEMENT
Ic_polls

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Share on Facebook
Binitha Jacob

Binitha Jacob

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Working as a writer for Bored Panda offers an added layer of excitement. By afternoon, I'm fully immersed in the whirlwind of celebrity drama, and by evening, I'm navigating through the bustling universe of likes, shares, and clicks. This role not only allows me to delve into the fascinating world of pop culture but also lets me do what I love: weave words together and tell other people's captivating stories to the world

Read less »
Binitha Jacob

Binitha Jacob

Author, BoredPanda staff

Working as a writer for Bored Panda offers an added layer of excitement. By afternoon, I'm fully immersed in the whirlwind of celebrity drama, and by evening, I'm navigating through the bustling universe of likes, shares, and clicks. This role not only allows me to delve into the fascinating world of pop culture but also lets me do what I love: weave words together and tell other people's captivating stories to the world

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
LakotaWolf (she/her)
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As far as I know, you can't copyright words or individual musical notes, so I'm VERY curious at how this is going to play out. You also can't copyright ideas (as in, the "concept" of the songs - yes, they're both about a breakup/end of a relationship.) If the song was entirely the same, then yes, there'd be a trademark/copyright issue, but they're NOT the same. Tempo Music Investments better start suing every single artist who has written a song about a breakup... XD after all, there are lyrical and conceptual elements that those songs duplicate from "When I Was Your Man"!!

Anywhere but Here
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“I should’ve bought you flowers” “I can buy my own flowers” “And held your hand” “I can hold my own hand” Yes, I kind of just assumed…

Load More Replies...
LakotaWolf (she/her)
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As far as I know, you can't copyright words or individual musical notes, so I'm VERY curious at how this is going to play out. You also can't copyright ideas (as in, the "concept" of the songs - yes, they're both about a breakup/end of a relationship.) If the song was entirely the same, then yes, there'd be a trademark/copyright issue, but they're NOT the same. Tempo Music Investments better start suing every single artist who has written a song about a breakup... XD after all, there are lyrical and conceptual elements that those songs duplicate from "When I Was Your Man"!!

Anywhere but Here
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“I should’ve bought you flowers” “I can buy my own flowers” “And held your hand” “I can hold my own hand” Yes, I kind of just assumed…

Load More Replies...
You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda