Miley Cyrus Seeks “Flowers” Lawsuit Dismissal, Readies Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special

In 2023, Miley Cyrus had a huge chart-topping, Grammy-winning comeback hit with "Flowers," a song that essentially seemed structured as an answer to Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man," another big hit from a decade earlier. In 2024, Cyrus was sued over the similarity between the two songs — not by Bruno Mars but by Tempo Music Investments, a company that acquired the songwriting catalog of Mars' collaborator Philip Lawrence. Cyrus tried to get the lawsuit dismissed back then, and her motion was denied. The case remains ongoing, and Cyrus' lawyers are now making the argument that nobody can own "commonplace tropes in breakup songs."

As Billboard reports, Miley Cyrus' legal team recently filed a motion arguing that the two songs are "very different" — that they offer different perspectives in different musical styles. Billboard quotes this, from Cyrus' attorney Peter Anderson:

Man, a slow piano ballad, is a breakup song from the perspective of a man who regrets not doing various things he believes could have saved his relationship. On the other hand, Flowers, an upbeat, danceable pop song, is a breakup song from the perspective of a woman rejoicing in her independence and self-reliance.

Cyrus' lawyers further argue that "Flowers" is protected by the fair-use doctrine, which says that it's OK to quote another work in a way that criticizes or comments on the original. Cyrus and her co-writers "strenuously deny" any similarity between the two songs, so their effective message is something like this: We're not flipping that song's lyrics, but if we were, it would be allowed. Here's another line that Billboard quotes:

Fair use… instead considers whether a reasonable observer could interpret Flowers as commenting on Man. Even plaintiff acknowledges that Flowers’ upbeat lyrics have been perceived as responding to Man’s despondent lyrics.

Personally, I find that argument a lot more compelling than the one about how they're completely different songs. It seems to me that the lawyers should choose one argument and stick with it, but maybe that's why I'm not a lawyer.

In other news, Miley Cyrus recently posted a teaser for a new TV special that'll celebrate the 20th anniversary of Hannah Montana, the Disney Channel series that turned her into a star. (Cyrus was 13 when Hanna Montana debuted, so she's been famous for way more than half of her life.)

The Hannah Montana 20th anniversary special debuts 3/24 on Disney+. The New York Post reports that Cyrus has recently been seen driving around Malibu in her blonde Hannah wig, presumably while filming the special.