Miley Cyrus has shared the first taste of her forthcoming new album ‘Something Beautiful’ – listen to ‘Prelude’ below.
The singer-songwriter is due to release the “bold” record on May 30 via Columbia, and has already revealed its striking cover art. Cyrus serves as executive producer on the LP, alongside Shawn Everett (Kacey Musgraves, Alabama Shakes).
Following on from 2023’s ‘Endless Summer Vacation’, the project will also be accompanied by a “visual” film version – directed by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter. This is set to arrive in cinemas in June.
Today (March 31), Cyrus kicked off her next era by sharing the ‘Prelude’ to her ninth studio album.
The dramatic track, which will presumably open the 13-song ‘Something Beautiful’, finds her delivering spoken word segments over an ominous orchestral-led instrumental with droning synth.
“Like when following an image from a train, your eyes can’t keep the passing landscapes from being swallowed into endless distance,” Cyrus says. “Like when holding a fist full of ashes, your hands can’t save the things that have already been dissolved into air.
“Like when facing the sun through a window, your skin feels warmth but you can’t be in the world that its warmth has made alive. Like walking alone through a lucid dream like saying your name aloud in an empty room.”
Cyrus co-produced ‘Prelude’ with Everett, Michael Pollack, Jonathan Rado and her boyfriend Maxx Morando.
The song’s official visuals depict Cyrus in the same outfit as on the ‘Something Beautiful’ artwork – an “archival 1997 Thierry Mugler couture”.
Before the track hits its cinematic crescendo, an emotional Cyrus stares down the camera lens to state that “the beauty one finds alone is a prayer that longs to be shared”. The video was directed by Cyrus, Bixenman and Walter. Watch above.
As predicted by some fans, ‘Prelude’ suggests that the singer has moved away from straight-up pop on her new LP in favour of a more experimental sound.
The ‘Something Beautiful’ film has been called “a one-of-a-kind pop opera from the mind of Miley Cyrus”. The official description reads: “A unique visual experience, fuelled by fantasy, including 13 original songs from the upcoming album.”
In a four-star review of ‘Endless Summer Vacation’, NME wrote: “It all adds up to an album that holds your full attention even if it isn’t Cyrus’s boldest or most visionary. ‘Endless Summer Vacation’ certainly feels like an accurate reflection of who she is as an artist – and a person – in 2023.”
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