Get ready, Miley’s Something Beautiful is hitting our ears (and screens) May 30th! Expect 13 bangerz, a movie, and some archival glam. Here’s everything we know so far!
The anticipation for Miley’s ninth studio album is palpable, and for good reason. Even before its release, she’s delivered “Prelude”, the record’s title track “Something Beautiful”, and just as we catch our breath and pick up our jaw, she’s released “End of the World”, the lead single.
These early releases, showcasing the “Wrecking Ball” singer’s knack for constant reinvention, seem to highlight how our recession pop girlies are saying, “I’m gonna do what the hell I want now” – and we’re all for it. Dissecting the visuals, the fashion, the music, and of course, the Miley – prepare to be swept away. Here’s everything we know so far about Something Beautiful.
Miley’s Pop Opera of Healing
With 13 tracks each executively produced by Cyrus and Shawn Everett, the album is poised to be a transformative experience. Miley’s pop opera era promises raw emotion, unapologetic honesty, and no holding back. The album is supposed to be a cinematic trip for your ears, but beneath the visual glam, glitter, and archival Mugler, the songs have a deeper meaning. It’s a message of finding beauty, even when things get dark. Using music as a part of healing – a romantic revenge, if you will.
Genre-wise, expect a fusion of experimental pop with theatrical, operatic elements, with even a bit of… rock! From the early released songs, “Something Beautiful”, “End of The World”, and “Prelude” (just a taste of the madness to come), these tracks marry the energy of 70s/80s, R&B, soft rock, and hyper-pop. Combining three music genres seamlessly to create a new one, like if Nine Inch Nails and Pink Floyd made a beautiful musical baby.
Think soaring Cyrus vocals, it’s all about capturing the chaos of life, the highs and lows, the contrasts, and serving them up raw and real. Cyrus has gone full experimental with pop, she says, “Its hypnotising and glamorous”. And, oh, the romance! The album blooms from a creative collaboration with her beau, Maxx Morando, a rock-infused muse, who helped sculpt its very heart, producing multiple tracks, and even helping her write the albums track title.
The First Visual Tastes
Let’s not forget, this is the mastermind behind the “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball” music videos, so these visuals? Utter. Perfection. The “Something Beautiful” video, an explosion, quite literally. Sparks fly, studio lights go up in flames, yet Miley, under the direction of herself, horror director Panos Cosmatos, and the brilliant Jacob Bixenman, achieve a delicate balance of chaos and tranquillity. From her mythical Mugler debut (courtesy of her longtime stylist Bradley Kenneth) to raw band-blazing energy and symbolic sartorial shedding, this music video? It’s a journey.
“Prelude” unveils Miley as a sequinned showgirl-like vision, draped in the very Mugler magic that graces the album cover (captured by renowned fashion photographer Glen Luchford). A performance unfolds, a theatrical wink, her monologue punctuated by cryptic text that flashes across the screen, interwoven with fragmented floral imagery – a nod to “Flowers”, perhaps, but she’s cultivating a much wilder garden now. It’s a full serve of 80’s pop-rock decadence with a disorientated twist, inviting us to the realm of the “Something Beautiful” world.
The Movie and the Fashion Moment
Miley’s Something Beautiful isn’t just an album drop; we’re getting a movie! Conjured by the visionary trio of Brenden Walter, and Jacob Bixenman, all captured through the ethereal lens of Benoît Debie. The trailer is a peek into her new world, where high-fashion collides with surrealism – a unique visual experience fuelled by fantasy. Picture this: Miley, gliding through cinematic backlots, draped in archival couture, bespoke McQueen magic, vintage Gaultier, and Bob Mackie to play up the album’s otherworldly feel.
During an interview with Vogue, Bradley Kenneth revealed that they hold the record – mind you – for the largest Mugler archive ever sent to a single artist, a testament to the scale of their vision. And judging by the trailer, which includes a whirlwind of cinematic references from runway shows to Pink Floyd’s The Wall, we can already tell this era is going to be insane. Kenneth has mentioned that these pieces will play a major role in the storytelling of the film; the dark-vampy, romantic looks are the perfect match for the scale and emotion of the movie. Plus, Miley’s always at her best when she keeps it weird, and we’re eagerly anticipating the whole experience.
Could this be Cyrus’s Lemonade? Only time will tell. But one thing’s certain: she’s building nothing short of a legacy. With Miley, Gaga, Selena, Kesha, and all the pop queens of the 2010s making a comeback this summer, we’re on the cusp of a nostalgia-fueled pop renaissance. It’s shaping up to be massive.
Words – Isabella Ardeman
