May 30th marks Miley Cyrus's grand return with Something Beautiful, a ninth album that boasts a musical and visual UFO. Two years after the global success of Flowers, the American artist has released an ambitious project, both experimental and introspective, accompanied by a dozen music videos collected in a film screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
A work apart in his discography
Described by Miley Cyrus as a "pop opera," Something Beautiful strays from the beaten path of conventional pop to explore more artistic and personal territory. The thirteen-track album is a distillation of "devotion, love, and fantasy." Drawing on rock, jazz, and synthpop influences, the singer takes every liberties, carried by a raspy, singular voice that has shaped her artistic identity.
Visually, the album takes on a rare cinematic dimension. Each track is accompanied by a music video, some of which have already been unveiled – Prelude, More to Lose, Something Beautiful, and End of the World – in a supernatural aesthetic, where the singer appears notably dressed in iconic Thierry Mugler creations. The whole is conceived as a coherent whole, intended to be seen in cinemas, with a world premiere planned for the Tribeca Film Festival.
A musical and personal ambition
More than an album, Something Beautiful is a dive into Miley Cyrus's inner world. Between tributes, confessions, and moments of grace, she evokes her beginnings, her family ties, and her wounds. Her voice, marked by Reinke's edema—a rare condition of the vocal cords—adds emotional depth to the whole. While this condition complicates her live performances, it also gives her timbre a unique intensity, which she has chosen to embrace rather than correct.
Despite the lack of an announced tour, Miley Cyrus decided to present her album at an exclusive event at the Château Marmont in Los Angeles, accompanied by her fans and her partner Maxx Morando. This intimate launch contrasts with the scale of the project, but reflects her desire to strike a balance between media exposure and artistic sincerity.
With Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus delivers a dense, sensory, and accomplished work, at the intersection of music, film, and performance. A project that stands out as one of the most personal and innovative of her career.
