American singer Miley Cyrus is at the center of a scandal over allegations of plagiarism in creating her song Flowers. The plaintiffs claim that the Grammy Award-winning hit contains borrowings from Bruno Mars’s When I Was Your Man. This was reported by People magazine.
According to a document filed in a Los Angeles court on September 16, the lawsuit was filed by Tempo Music Investments, which owns the rights to Mars’ song. The statement claims that the number of coincidences between the songs “leaves no doubt” that Flowers could not have been created without using elements of the already-named musical work. In particular, the plaintiffs point to melodic, harmonic, and lyrical coincidences.
The defendants include Cyrus, Gregory Gagne, and Michael Pollack, the song’s co-authors. By the way, Bruno Mars himself is not among the applicants. Tempo Music Investments demands a ban on the further reproduction, distribution, and performance of Flowers, as well as damages, the amount of which has not yet been determined.
As a reminder, in February 2024, 31-year-old Miley Cyrus won her first Grammy Award for the song Flowers in the Record of the Year category. Previously, she became famous for her starring role in the TV series Hannah Montana, and later, she focused on her music career, recording several hits.