Miley Cyrus fears she may have to “publicly reveal” that her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth was the “inspiration” for her 2023 song Flowers after being sued for copyright infringement.
The 31-year-old pop star was charged with copying Bruno Mars’ 2012 hit When I Was Your Man, which topped charts around the world.
Insiders have exclusively told DailyMail.com that the former Hannah Montana star isn’t too concerned about the lawsuit itself, but would find it “disturbing” if she is forced to confirm the song was about her ex – years after fans claimed the track was a response to his rumoured infidelity.
“Miley isn’t too worried about the lawsuit itself, but anyone who knows Miley knows this song was written as a way to get rid of Liam,” the source said.
Miley became engaged to Liam in May 2012, but they split in September 2013, before getting back together in 2016.
Miley Cyrus is worried she will have to “publicly” reveal that her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth was the “inspiration” behind her song Flowers, insiders have told DailyMail.com.
The 31-year-old singer will find it ‘disturbing’ if she has to confirm that the song was actually aimed 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 in 2013 and often referenced it throughout their relationship.
It was later claimed that the Witcher actor had the song played at the couple’s wedding as well.
The source continued, “She wrote lyrics that were a response to Bruno’s lyrics in Your Man, specifically because that was Liam’s song for her. She just cared that he knew it was for him.
‘Miley originally wrote it as a slow love ballad, not the fast, upbeat song it became.’
The Grammy winner is said to be concerned about having to confess something about the song “on record.”
“She’s afraid she’ll have to reveal her inspiration for writing the song,” the source continued. “While she’s comfortable saying it was a response to Bruno, revealing it was specifically about Liam, publicly and on paper, is very upsetting.”
The pop star, who has not yet commented on the lawsuit, is reportedly waiting to see what happens next.
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 some of Bruno’s copyrights, has filed a lawsuit against the singer (Miley pictured in the Flowers video) for copyright infringement.
“Right now she’s just seeing how this plays out and hoping it gets rejected before it 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 released her single because she was “so focused on making fun of Liam for his alleged affair, that it overshadowed everything.”
The original song – about regret after the loss of a loved one – includes the lyrics: ‘I should have bought you flowers and held your hand / I should have given you all my hours when I had the chance / Should have taken you to every party ’cause all you wanted to do was dance’.
Miley turns it around and sings, “I can make myself dance / And I can hold my own hand / Yeah, I can love myself better than you can” to the tune of Mars’ hit.
“I can challenge myself to dance” likely refers to an infamous moment on the red carpet when Liam visibly cringed at Miley’s twerking.
Elsewhere, Miley references her and Liam’s burning Malibu home, singing, “We were good, we were gold / Some kind of dream that can’t be sold / We were right ’til we weren’t / We built a house and watched it burn down.”
Fans also noticed that the music video was full of easter eggs that referenced her relationship with Liam, including the video being filmed in the house where the actor allegedly cheated.
Miley’s fans had previously pointed out that the song’s lyrics and composition are similar to Bruno’s hit
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 is the one suing Miley, TMZ reported Monday.
In the new lawsuit, Tempo Music accuses Miley of “intentionally copying When I Was Your Man in Flowers” because of the strong similarities between the two songs.
According to the investment firm, Flowers has a similar melody and harmonies to the previous song, both in the verses and chorus.
It has been claimed that the chord progressions used in Miley’s song, which she co-wrote with Aldae (real name Gregory Hein) and Michael Pollack, are similar to the progressions in Bruno’s song. It has also been claimed that some of the lyrics are similar to When I Was Your Man, which Bruno co-wrote with Philip Lawrence, Ari Levin and Andrew Wyatt.
Tempo alleges 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, both reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
When I Was Your Man was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, but Flowers had even greater success.
The song won the Record Of The Year award, an award that honors songwriters, and Bruno was nominated for the award for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Flowers was also nominated for Song of the Year at the Grammys, but did not win the award.
Since their divorce became final in 2020, Miley has moved on with her boyfriend Maxx Morando
Liam has been in a long-term relationship with model and actress Gabriella Brooks
Tempo Music accuses Miley, her producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Harper, and her record label of all having access to Bruno’s song, when virtually everyone has access to the song. It was a hit when it came out a decade earlier and has since been readily available on physical media and streaming.
The investment firm is seeking damages from Miley, but it is unclear whether a specific amount has been requested yet.
In an even more severe measure, the company is demanding that Miley and her label no longer distribute Flowers, which could mean removing the song from digital and future physical versions of her 2023 album Endless Summer Vacation. The company is also demanding that Miley never perform the popular song again.
It appears that Tempo Music, and not Bruno, filed the lawsuit after the company reportedly acquired some of the copyrights to the song.
In May 2021, it was reported that the Uptown Funk hitmaker had sold part of his song catalog to Warner Music Group six months earlier.
Few details were released at the time about the scale of the deal, but Bruno (whose real name is Peter Hernandez) is said to still have a majority stake in 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.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Miley’s representatives for comment.