Miley Cyrus is worried she will have to ‘publicly reveal’ that ex-husband Liam Hemsworth is the ‘inspiration’ behind her 2023 track, Flowers, after she was sued for copyright infringement.
The 31-year-old pop star was hit with a lawsuit accusing her of copying Bruno Mars’ 2012 hit When I Was Your Man, which topped the pop charts across the globe.
But insiders have exclusively told DailyMail.com that the former Hannah Montana star is not too concerned about the lawsuit itself, but will find it ‘unsettling’ if she is forced to confirm that the song was about her ex – years after fans claimed the track was a response to his rumored infidelity.
‘Miley is not too concerned with the lawsuit itself, but everyone who knows Miley knows that this track was written as a way of healing from Liam,’ the source said.
Miley got engaged to Liam in May 2012, but they split in September 2013, before reuniting in 2016.
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Miley Cyrus is worried she will have to ‘publicly reveal’ that ex-husband Liam Hemsworth is the ‘inspiration’ behind her track, Flowers, insiders have told DailyMail.com
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The singer, 31, will find it ‘unsettling’ if she is forced to confirm that the song was actually taking aim at her ex (pictured together in 2019)
The couple married in December 2018, and their divorce was finalized in January 2020.
Liam reportedly dedicated Bruno’s song to Miley back in 2013, and is said to have often referenced it in their relationship.
It was later claimed that The Witcher actor also had the song played at the pair’s wedding.
The source continued: ‘She wrote lyrics that were a reaction to Bruno’s lyrics in Your Man, specifically because that was Liam’s song to her. She only cared that he knew it was for him.
‘Miley originally wrote it as a slow love ballad not the fast upbeat song that it became.’
The Grammy-winner is said to be anxious about having to make confessions about the song ‘on record’.
‘She is worried that she will have to reveal her inspiration for writing the song,’ the source continued. ‘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.’
The pop star – who is yet to comment on the lawsuit – is said to be waiting to see what happens next.
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The chorus of Flowers samples Bruno Mars’ 2012 hit When I Was Your Man, which Liam once reportedly dedicated to Miley
Tempo Music, which claims to own part of Bruno’s copyright, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the singer (Miley pictured in the Flowers video)
Miley Cyrus sings new track Flowers naked in the shower
‘At this point she is just seeing how this plays out and is hoping it gets tossed out before any of that becomes a real possibility,’ the insider said.
The source also claimed that Miley didn’t focus on the similarities between the two songs when she first dropped her single as she was ‘so focused on making these digs at Liam over his alleged affair and that overshadowed anything else.’
The original song – about regret after losing a romantic partner – has lyrics which include: ‘I should have bought you flowers and held your hand / Should have gave you all my hours when I had the chance / Take you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance’.
Flipping the script Miley sings: ‘I I can take myself dancing / And I can hold my own hand / Yeah, I can love me better than you can’ to the melody of Mars’ hit.
‘I can take myself dancing’ likely refers to an infamous red carpet moment when Liam visibly cringed at Miley’s twerking.
Elsewhere, Miley references her and Liam’s Malibu home burning down, singing: ‘We were good, we were gold / Kind of dream that can’t be sold / We were right ’til we weren’t / Built a home and watched it burn.’
Fans also pointed out that the music video was littered with Easter eggs referencing her relationship with Liam such as being filmed in the home that the actor is alleged to have been unfaithful in.
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Miley’s fans had previously highlighted the song’s lyrical and compositional similarity to the Bruno’s hit
Miley Cyrus candidly recounts her decision to split from Liam
Miley released the single and music video on January 13 – her ex-husband’s birthday.
Bruno is not named in the lawsuit. Tempo Music Investments are the ones suing Miley, TMZ reported on Monday.
In the new lawsuit, Tempo Music accused Miley of ‘intentionally copying’ When I Was Your Man in Flowers due to the significant similarities between the two songs.
The investment company claims that Flowers features a similar melody and harmonies to the earlier song, both in the verses and in the chorus.
It alleges that the chord progressions used on Miley’s tune — which she is credited for writing with Aldae, real name: Gregory Hein, and Michael Pollack — are similar to progressions on Bruno’s song, and it also claims that some of the song’s lyrics are similar to those on When I Was Your Man, which was written by Bruno with Philip Lawrence, Ari Levin and Andrew Wyatt.
Tempo claims in its lawsuit: ‘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.’
Both songs were hits for their respective artists, and each reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
When I Was Your Man was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, but Flowers was even more successful.
The song won Record Of The Year — which honors songwriters — along with the award Bruno was nominated for, Best Pop Solo Performance.
Flowers was also nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys, though it didn’t win.
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Since their divorce was finalized in 2020, Miley has moved on with boyfriend Maxx Morando
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Liam has been in a long term relationship with model and actress Gabriella Brooks
‘I’m the CEO of my own company!’: Miley interrupts Flowers diss-track
Tempo Music accuses Miley, her producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Harper and her record label of all having access to Bruno’s song, though nearly everyone has access to the song, which was a hit when it was released a decade earlier and has remained easily accessible on physical media and streaming ever since.
The investment firm is requesting damages from Miley, though it’s unclear if it has specified a requested amount yet.
In a more severe move, it is requesting that she and her label be barred from distributing Flowers, which might entail removing it from digital and future physical versions of her 2023 album Endless Summer Vacation, and the firm is also requesting that Miley be barred from ever again performing the popular song.
Tempo Music, rather than Bruno, appears to have filed the lawsuit after reportedly taking control of part of the song’s copyright.
In May of 2021, the Uptown Funk hitmaker was reported to have sold a portion of his song catalog to Warner Music Group six months earlier.
Few details were revealed at the time about the scope of the scale, but Bruno (whose real name is Peter Hernandez) was reported to have retained majority ownership of his catalog.
In late 2019, Warner Music Group and Providence Equity Partners announced plans to invest $650 million in a new platform, Tempo Music Investments, according to Variety.
