Miley Cyrus Says Madonna ‘Was Down' to Mud Wrestle in a ‘4×4' Music Video, But Her Label Said No
In an interview on the Every Single Album podcast posted Thursday (June 5), the 'Flowers' singer revealed that she had been dead set on rounding up a star-studded group of friends to shoot a raucous visual for '4×4,' a song on her smash-hit 2013 album that ultimately never became a single. 'I had everyone already lined up,' Cyrus said. 'Nelly … Madonna was down to do the video, Miranda Cosgrove.'
More from Billboard
Miley Cyrus' 'Something Beautiful' Album: All 13 Tracks Ranked
The Weeknd Wanders Through Purgatory in 'Baptized in Fear' Music Video
Belinda's 'Indómita' Album & More Best New Music Latin
'This was before Taylor [Swift] had a lot of famous people in her crew,' she continued, laughing. 'I was friends with famous people first. I wanted to do that. I had a f–king squad, and my squad was very, very cool.'
Cyrus claimed the idea was eventually shut down by RCA, her label at the time, whom she quipped didn't want her 'talking about a pit bull [and] piss' in a song they'd be promoting. 'Madonna was down to mud wrestle with Miranda Kerr,' the Grammy winner reminisced wistfully. 'I was like, 'I'm gonna get all these girls, all these supermodels, all these Victoria's Secret models and all of these pop icons to come to my dad's farm, get in the back of 4x4s, and we're gonna mud wrestle, and we're gonna go out and do doughnuts.'
Despite the lack of a '4×4' visual, Bangerz remains one of Cyrus' most successful albums to date. The LP debuted atop the Billboard 200 and spawned her first-ever No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100, 'Wrecking Ball,' which was followed closely by 'We Can't Stop' at No. 2.
The 'Party in the U.S.A.' artist was signed to RCA for a three-album run, later dropping Younger Now in 2017 and Plastic Hearts in 2020 under the Sony Music imprint. In 2021, she inked a new deal with Columbia Records, through which she just released new album Something Beautiful on May 30.
Later in the podcast episode, Cyrus recalled another time where she and her former label weren't quite on the same page. According to her, she never would've put a certain fellow pop star on 'Prisoner,' one of the singles on Plastic Hearts. 'No shade to Dua Lipa, it just isn't cohesive with the album,' Cyrus said frankly.
'She would've been much better on something like [2023 LP] Endless Summer Vacation,' the singer continued of Dua Lipa. 'She would've been great on 'Wildcard,' she would've been great on any of them — 'River,' can you imagine?'
Cyrus added that she thought her team at RCA wasn't entirely confident in how Plastic Hearts would perform, so they brought in some 'medicinal Dua' to give the LP some commercial oomph. 'They basically were like, 'Oh, great, here's this piece of s–t album she gave us, let's spray a little Dua Lipa on there,'' Cyrus said, laughing.
Listen to Cyrus' full interview on Every Single Album below.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Hozier's Historic Smash Has Finally Been Replaced At No. 1
Hozier started his career by releasing one of the biggest rock hits in recent memory. 'Take Me to Church' launched him into superstardom all around the world, and then for many years, it seemed as if it would remain his only major global smash. In 2024, the Irish singer-songwriter returned with 'Too Sweet,' which brought him back to charts globally and even helped him rise to new heights on several Billboard rankings. After a historic run on one of the company's rock rankings, 'Too Sweet' finally steps back, as Hozier is replaced by one of the hottest newcomers in music. Sombr Jumps to No. 1 Sombr leads the Hot Rock Songs chart, Billboard's list of the most consumed rock tracks in the United States. His single 'Undressed' surges from the runner-up spot to No. 1 in its twentieth frame on the tally. 'Undressed' Replaces 'Too Sweet' at No. 1 'Undressed' replaces 'Too Sweet' atop the Hot Rock Songs chart. Hozier's smash has now spent 72 frames on the genre-specific ranking — 70 of which have been in first place. That's a historic run on any Billboard roster, and even if the tune never returns, Hozier will likely forever claim one of the longest-running rock No. 1s of all time. Hozier's Smash Lives Inside the Top 10 'Too Sweet' remains a top 10 hit on five different Billboard charts at the moment, even 72 frames into its lifespan on each and every one of them. The track sits highest on the Hot Rock Songs list and also appears on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Alternative Songs, Alternative Streaming Songs, and Rock Streaming Songs charts, coming in at No. 4 on the first two rosters and Nos. 8 and 10 on the latter two, respectively. Sombr Scores the Two Biggest Rock Hits Sombr has a lot to celebrate when it comes to the Hot Rock Songs chart. Not only does 'Undressed' become a No. 1, but 'Back to Friends' follows closely, as it improves from No. 3 to second place, meaning he controls the highest two spaces on the same tally. Amazingly, of the 25 spaces on the Hot Rock Songs list, Sombr fills four. In addition to his top 10s, new single '12 to 12' leaps from No. 16 to No. 13 in its second frame on the ranking, while 'We Never Dated' reenters at No. 25.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Bob Marley, Ozzy Osbourne Score Bestsellers Together
It's a relatively quiet period on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart, which ranks the bestselling full-lengths and EPs throughout the United States. The tally differs from the Billboard 200, which ranks titles based on total consumption, and not solely pure purchases. As is often the case, the highest reaches of the Top Album Sales roster are filled with new releases. But there are currently more comebacks on the roster than debuts, as several superstars and some of the bestselling full-lengths of all time find their way back to the competitive list. Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Marley and Taylor Swift Return Together 12 projects return to the Top Album Sales chart this week. The ranking only features 50 spots, so that means almost one-quarter of all rungs are filled by sets that have already spent time on the list. In some cases, the comebacks have only racked up a few stays, while others have lived on the tally for years. Here's a rundown of all of the titles that make their way back to the Top Album Sales chart this week: Renee Rapp, $uicideboy$ and Yeat Debut Only seven projects land on the Top Album Sales chart for the first time. The list is led by Reneé Rapp's sophomore full-length Bite Me, which earns the singer and actress her first leader as it opens at No. 1. Also new to the top 10 are Thy Kingdom Come by $uicideboy$ at No. 2, Dangerous Summer by Yeat at No. 3 and Live at the Legion by Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton at No. 7. Three other titles by Buddy Guy, Roger Waters, and Fit for a King also launch on the purchase-only roster in what has turned out to be something of an odd frame when it comes to sales in America.
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Forbes
Black Sabbath's Career-Defining Album Returns And Soars
For the past few weeks, Black Sabbath's catalog has been surging in popularity following the passing of frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Eventually, after any massive uptick comes a decline, and both Black Sabbath's and Osbourne's music is largely falling on Billboard's weekly rankings. Even so, one of Black Sabbath's most famous collections manages to gain a bit of ground and even return to one list, as Americans aren't done honoring the late rocker's legacy. Black Sabbath's Biggest Album Reappears Paranoid can be found on six Billboard charts this week. The full-length, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest in heavy metal history and certainly Black Sabbath's most famous, reappears on the Vinyl Albums chart at No. 20. Throughout the years, Paranoid has only spent a month on the roster, and while it's never cracked the top 10, it has come close to doing so, as it once stalled at No. 11. Paranoid Climbs on Billboard's Sales Chart The same full-length improves its standing on just one Billboard roster, as Paranoid lifts from No. 39 to No. 32 on the Top Album Sales chart. Interestingly, while the bestseller rises, purchases are actually down. Luminate reports that from one tracking period to the next, Paranoid saw its sales decline by less than 1%, and it managed to sell just under 3,000 copies in the U.S. Such a decline is not unexpected, though it is notable that thanks to a lack of competition, Black Sabbath's famous project was still able to ascend. Paranoid Grows by 35% Paranoid lives on for additional Billboard rankings, and it falls on all of them. The title manages the least dramatic slip on the Top Hard Rock Albums ranking, stepping back from the runner-up spot to No. 5. It also backtracks outside the top 10 on both the Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums lists, where it now appears at Nos. 17 and 20, respectively. Total consumption of Paranoid fell by almost 35% week-over-week. That leads Black Sabbath's decades-old effort to backtrack on the Billboard 200 from No. 27 to No. 90 — its greatest decline. 'Paranoid' and 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall' Black Sabbath sees four singles appear on at least one Billboard tally at the moment, and 'Paranoid' remains its biggest winner, even though it's falling on almost every one of the eight rosters on which it appears. A handful of tunes manage to hold steady on one or two lists apiece, while one track, 'War Pigs/Luke's Wall,' even climbs on the Hot Hard Rock Songs roster. That double song improves from No. 6 to No. 5, reaching a new all-time high as almost everything in the group's catalog descends.
