Miley Cyrus released her new track Flowers on January 13, 2023, and it is already causing quite a stir with its many references to ex-husband Liam Hemsworth.
However, eagle-eyed fans spotted nods to Bruno Mars' song When I Was Your Man hidden in the lyrics, sparking rumors that the Wrecking Ball singer was dating Mars. These claims are false.
The Can’t Be Tamed singer dated Liam on and off for ten years between 2009 and 2018, before marrying him in December 2018. They finalized their divorce in January 2020.
Miley Cyrus' Flowers coincided with Liam Hemsworth's birthday, fans speculate it is a response to him
The former Disney star's fans have been analyzing and theorizing about the intent behind Flowers. With the song being released on Hemsworth's birthday, they believe it is a reply to her ex-husband.
The youngest Hemsworth brother once allegedly dedicated the Bruno Mars song to Miley Cyrus during one of the times they were broken up. It is unclear when the actor dedicated the song, and the rumors were never confirmed by the pair.
Ever since it was released, the internet has been rife with theories and speculations about the song, with several fans stating that it was filmed at the house where Helmsworth allegedly cheated on Cyrus.
Social media went into a frenzy when they found similarities between the two songs. A TikTok user, @z100newyork, shared a video alluding to the same. The viral post already has over 9.7 million views and over 840k comments.
Although the clip did not give any evidence of Liam's dedication, netizens immediately shared the post on their socials. Some fans were also left confused about the choice of song for the dedication as it was a breakup song.
The lyrics to Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man alludes to regrets over a break-up and losing a lover. The hit single was written by Mars after his breakup with then-girlfriend Jessica Caban. A portion of the lyrics reads:
"I should have brought 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."
Fans theorized that Miley Cyrus' Flowers is a song about self-love and a response to Liam's dedication. Flipping the script to the lyrics of the Bruno Mars song, the chorus of Miley Cyrus' latest track goes as follows:
"I can take myself flowers/ Write my name in the sand / Talk to myself for hours / Say things you don't understand / I can take myself dancing / And I can hold my own hand / Yeah, I can love me better than you can."
The very first verse of Flowers, "Built a home and watched it burn," could be a nod to the 2018 wildfires in Malibu, in which the couple lost their home. Meanwhile, "I can take myself dancing," could refer to a red-carpet incident where Liam flinched when Miley started twerking during an interview.
Miley's sister, Brandi Cyrus addressed the narrative created by fans on Wells Adams's Your Favorite Thing podcast, stating:
"It makes Miley seem like an absolute genius. And it’s just too good. Like, every day I wake up to a new one. The narratives are f**king hilarious... The best PR that could ever happen..."
This would not be the first time Miley Cyrus has written about her former partner. Many of her songs, including Wrecking Ball, Drive, and The Most, all have references to Liam Hemsworth.