Fans of Miley Cyrus can always be counted on for some fun. And after the release of her latest track Flowers, along with a steamy music video), many of them are absolutely convinced the song is a direct response to Bruno Mars‘ 2013 smash hit “When I Was Your Man.” In the nearly minute long clip, Bruno croons “Too dumb to realize that I should’ve bought you flowers” from a piano, after which Miley is seen flipping her hair in her own video over the lyrics “I can buy myself flowers.” “And held your hand,” Bruno continues, only to meet Miley’s retort, “And hold my own hand.”
Miley Cyrus responding to Bruno Mars in her recent single ‘Flowers’ HER MIND pic.twitter.com/WP2YR0iVSc
— o (@BumpDrunk) January 13, 2023
The video quickly went viral on Twitter, with 6.3 million views since it was posted. And it appears followers are in no doubt of what Miley was doing with the song. “Her ex husband Liam Hemsworth once dedicated this song to her and she decided to release and dedicate him her new single on his birthday (January 13),” one follower claimed. “#Flowers happy birthday.”
That’s close to true — the song and album were actually released on January 12, a day ahead of her famous ex’s birthday. But Flowers, which is part of her Endless Summer Vacation album due out on March 10 from Columbia Records, is undoubtedly a breakup anthem directed at the Hunger Games actor. “Hoping this is true because that is such a gag,” wrote another. “STREAM FLOWERS FOR A BETTER YEAR,” remarked yet another enthused fan.
Liam and Miley first met on the set of 2010 film The Last Song, made their red-carpet debut that year at an Oscars event, and got engaged in 2012. Their on-off relationship appeared rocky until they finally married in a private ceremony in 2018. Miley even penned a super sweet song to her former man in 2017 called “Malibu.”
But it had all crumbled by 2019, with the pair going their separate ways after less than eight months as a married couple. “They split because [Liam] realized as he got older and grew up, they weren’t having a traditional marriage and relationship and that was hard for him and it wasn’t working for Miley, either,” an Insider told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at the time. “They both really wanted to live their lives differently.” These differences didn’t just exist between Liam and Miley, either; their families come from very different backgrounds.