Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus.Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images
Miley Cyrus' fans think her new single “Flowers” features several references to her high-profile relationship with ex-husbandLiam Hemsworth.
On Friday, the singer-songwriter and formerHannah Montanastar released the uptempo new song as well as its music video — the first taste of what’s to come from her upcoming albumEndless Summer Vacation.
“Flowers” finds Cyrus, 30, reflecting on a past relationship and affirming that everything her ex-partner did for her, she can do for herself. “I didn’t want to leave you, I didn’t want to lie / Started to cry, but then remembered / I can buy myself flowers,” she sings on the positive, anthemic track.
Upon the song’s release, fans across social media quickly began drawing comparisons between its lyrics and specific moments in Cyrus' decade-long relationship with Hemsworth, 33.
The pair met in 2009 while filmingThe Last Song, the movie adaptation of the popular Nicholas Sparks novel, and entered an on-again, off-again relationship over the next few years before getting engaged in 2012. Cyrus and Hemsworth then postponed their wedding in April 2013 and called off the engagement altogether in September of the same year.
After a few years apart, they got back together and reignited their engagement in early 2016. Cyrus and Hemsworth then tied the knot in December 2018 before separating in August 2019, and they officially divorced in February 2020.
Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus in March 2010.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Here are the reasons fans think Cyrus is nodding toward the breakup in her “Flowers” lyrics and music video:
The song and video’s release date coincided with Hemsworth’s birthday.
The “Wrecking Ball” performer firstannounced the datevia social media on Dec. 31, 2022. Later, she revealed the song would technically drop on Jan. 12 in the United States and noted that it’d be out at 11 a.m. in Australia, Hemsworth’s home territory — which one fan speculated was particularly intentional.
“The original announcement was Friday, Jan 13. Usually they get released midnight ET. Not her going out of her way to make sure it getsreleased on Liam’s birthdayin Australian time,” wrote the Twitter user.
Liam Hemsworth and Miley Cyrus in January 2019.John Sciulli/Getty Images
Cyrus seems to reference when the pair’s house burned down in a 2018 wildfire in the song’s first verse.
“Flowers” kicks off with reflective lyrics about a past relationship and how it ended. “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,” sings Cyrus, who may be nodding toward the loss of their Malibu home to the 2018 Woolsey Fire.
In a 2020 interview withRolling Stone, Cyrus cited the incident as onereason she decided to marry Hemsworth. “In a way, it did what I couldn’t do for myself. It removed me from what no longer was serving its purpose,” she told the outlet at the time. “And then as you drown, you reach for that lifesaver and you want to save yourself. I think that’s really what, ultimately, getting married was for me. One last attempt to save myself.”
Once the song dropped, fans began drawing parallels between the lyrics of “Flowers” and Mars’ 2013 hit, which they think Hemsworthonce dedicated to Cyrus— though no reports have officially confirmed such speculation.
“I can buy myself flowers / Write my name in the sand / Talk to myself for hours / Say things you don’t understand,” sings Cyrus on the track’s chorus. “I can take myself dancing / And I can hold my own hand / Yeah, I can love me better than you can.”
Cyrus wears an oversized suit, which appears to resemble one Hemsworth wore alongside her, in the music video
In one of the scenes from the “Flowers” video, Cyrus can be seen donning a large black suit, which some fans online have compared to the outfit Hemsworth wore on theAvengers: Endgamepremiere red carpet in 2019.
While the suits don’texactlymatch each other, fans have speculated that the look could potentially serve as a reference to aviral clip of the couplecaptured on the carpet, in which Cyrus pretends to lick Hemsworth.
One of Cyrus' dance moves in the video’s teaser seems to call back to another one of the couple’s red carpet appearances
Ahead of the official release of “Flowers,” Cyrus posted a clip of herself in one of the music video’s picturesque Los Angeles locations. While walking down an empty street, she can be seen moving her shoulders and shaking her behind for a quick dance — which fans have likened to a video of the couple at theVanity FairOscar party in 2019.
While speaking toAccess Hollywoodfor an interview at the event, Cyrus began grinding on Hemsworth, who quickly backed away from her and said, “We’re not doing this. Not on the carpet,” per the outlet.
Cyrus and Hemsworth have not commented on any speculation regarding connections between the song, music video and their relationship.
“Flowers” is available to stream and purchase, andEndless Summer Vacationis out March 10.
source: people.com
