The Bruno Mars Connection To Miley Cyrus' Flowers Explained

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Imitation is the highest form of flattery, or so they say. It's never really a secret when an artist incorporates a previously released song from another musician in their own tracks. This can take many forms, such as sampling a tune, recreating it, or even collaborating with the original artist. In 2023, Miley Cyrus released "Flowers," the lead single from her album "Endless Summer Vacation," which drew immediate comparisons to Bruno Mars' hit, "When I Was Your Man."

While we'll get into why (and how) that is in a bit, it's worth noting that another major inspiration for the song was allegedly Cyrus' ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth. According to Capital FM, rumors circulated that "When I Was Your Man" held a special place in their relationship because Hemsworth dedicated it to Cyrus at one point. While that bit is just hearsay, with neither celebrity sharing that story, the lyrics and release date are enough to pin it to Hemsworth anyway.

You don't have to look very hard to see the similarities between Miley Cyrus' 2023 song, "Flowers," and the 2012 Bruno Mars hit, "When I Was Your Man." The chorus of the "Hannah Montana" star's single responds to Mars' sentiments almost line-for-line. Mars croons, "I should have bought you flowers and held your hand," while also saying he should have given his girlfriend "all [his] hours" and taken her out to dance. Cyrus' chorus notes that she can buy herself flowers and "talk to myself for hours." It hits on finding self-love by also taking herself dancing and holding her own hand because, as she sings: "I can love me better than you can."

Yes, "Flowers" is undeniably a response to the message conveyed in "When I Was Your Man," but it is not solely a self-love anthem. Fans have also drawn connections between "Flowers" and Cyrus' ex-partner, Liam Hemsworth. For instance, Cyrus announced the song would drop on January 13, which coincides with Hemsworth's birthday. Although it ultimately dropped on January 12 in America, it was still January 13 in Hemsworth's native Australia. Additionally, there's a lyric in the song that goes, "We built a home and watched it burn," potentially referring to the 2018 fire that destroyed Cyrus and Hemsworth's Malibu home.

"Flowers" proved quite prosperous for Miley Cyrus, garnering well over two billion Spotify streams and also shepherding her first and second Grammy awards in 2024. However, in September 2024, Tempo Music Investments, which has partial ownership over "When I Was Your Man," sued Cyrus and her collaborators for copyright infringement, as noted by Rolling Stone. "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," read the lawsuit. "'Flowers' duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements of 'When I Was Your Man,' including the melodic pitch design ... the connecting bass-line, certain bars of the chorus, certain theatrical music elements, lyric elements, and specific chord progressions."

The investment group gained interest in Mars' track when co-writer Philip Lawrence sold his percentage of the copyright to the company. Interestingly, Mars, who not only wrote on the track but has performed it for over a decade, didn't participate in the filing. The other writers also opted not to participate. Even more interesting is the fact that Mars has never publicly commented on "Flowers" or the success that Cyrus gained from it.

On the personal front, Cyrus feared that the lawsuit would force her to publicize the secret — yet not-so-subtle — connection "Flowers" had to her ex-husband, Liam Hemsworth, according to the Daily Mail. "She is worried that she will have to reveal her inspiration for writing the song," claimed a source. "While she has no issue stating it was a response to Bruno, revealing it was specifically about Liam publicly and on record is very unsettling."

Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" legal trouble seems to be far from over. In November 2024, the Disney Channel alum attempted to have the lawsuit against her dismissed. According to Rolling Stone, Cyrus' legal squad, which denied her camp committed copyright infringement during the brainstorming phase of "Flowers," argued that Tempo Music Investments had no legal leg to stand on due to the absence of Bruno Mars and the other co-writers' participation in the suit. "Plaintiff's claim suffers another fatal flaw that mandates dismissal at the pleading stage: the Copyright Act expressly provides that only a legal or beneficial owner of an exclusive copyright right may sue for infringement," read the response. "Plaintiff is neither and, as a result, it lacks standing to bring this action."

Unfortunately for Cyrus, that legal strategy has, so far, proved to be unsuccessful. In March 2025, a judge ruled in favor of Tempo Music Investments, arguing that they can, indeed, sue despite only owning a percentage of the original copyright. "By transferring all of that interest, Tempo now steps into Lawrence's shoes and is a co‐owner of the exclusive rights of the copyright," read part of the judgment (via Variety). "Because Lawrence as a co‐owner could sue for infringement, Tempo as co‐owner, in lieu of Lawrence, can sue for infringement without joining the other co‐owners of the copyright," added the ruling.

In response, the investment firm's legal team said, "We are thrilled but not the least surprised by the ruling." They continued, "Our client is looking forward to having this case proceed to be resolved on its merits and are extremely confident in prevailing."