The Biggest Takeaways From Miley Cyrus's 'Something Beautiful,' According to ELLE Editors

Elle

2 days ago

If anyone's long overdue for an eras tour, it's Miley Cyrus. The 32-year-old artist has gone from Disney child star to rebellious teen, to experimental oddball, to a bonafide Grammy winner. Her latest album, Something Beautiful, marks the next stage of her evolution, one with a high-fashion wardrobe, artistic visuals, and a theatrical film to boot. It's sophisticated and mature, emotional but playful—a side of Cyrus we might not have ever seen, or heard, before. But how does it stack up following her chart-topping, award-winning previous album, Endless Summer Vacation?
After a recent screening of the Something Beautiful film, which brings all 13 tracks on the album to the screen, two ELLE editors broke down Cyrus's latest offering. There are '80s influences (a saxophone solo and Joan Jett and Pat Benatar vibes); collaborations with her musician boyfriend, Maxx Morando; and even a feature from the one and only Naomi Campbell. As she told fans at the event, this LP is about her finding beauty in destruction, imperfection, and even in pain. Here's how it turned out.
Samuel Maude, content strategy manager: So, I'm a Bangerz and Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz apologist. And, by apologist, I mean I think that Bangerz is good music. I have some issues with the era and a lot of the things she did. However, I think it is my favorite Miley album, and after [listening to Something Beautiful], that will stay true. I do think this album is probably what Miley Cyrus has always wanted to make.
Erica Gonzales, deputy editor, culture: It seems like that. I think she hinted at saying that in her Zane Lowe interview.
SM: Yes. It feels like this is, to her, her best album, and I think that's great. Her albums have really all had a different sound to me. You had Bangerz, which was definitely like that era of pop. You had Dead Petz, which was just experimental. You had Younger Now, which was country, folky, and then you had Plastic Hearts, which—
EG: I love Plastic Hearts. I was going to say, that's what I'm an apologist for.
SM: I've actually been listening a lot to that album recently, like 'Night Crawler.'
EG: I was just listening to that before!
SM: And then you have Endless Summer Vacation, which I think is her biggest hit. And coming off of an album like Endless Summer Vacation, this almost feels like a sophomore album in a way, merging her entire past. There are moments of Younger Now. There are moments of Plastic Hearts. There are moments of Endless Summer Vacation. Maybe no moments of Bangerz. But if I had to distill what I think Miley Cyrus wants to sound like as an artist, it is this album, which was exciting. Is it my personal favorite Miley album? It's not. I think there were snoozy elements of it.
EG: I hear you. I have never been a diehard 'Smiler.' But I did grow up alongside her. I was in middle school when she was on Hannah Montana, and she's only a year older than me, so we did kind of grow up together, even though she has no idea who I am.
SM: I remember when she was in High School Musical 2.
EG: And her Jonas Brothers era. We can go on and on. So I think it is interesting seeing this part of her evolution as an artist. It does feel, visually and sonically, like her most mature album. I liked it. I feel like I was more impressed with it because I didn't know what to expect, and I didn't love Endless Summer Vacation as much as everybody else did. Even 'Flowers,' though it's a big hit and a total crowd-pleaser, I feel like it could have been a little more surprising melodically, but it was very simple and approachable.
But as a lover of Plastic Hearts, which did not get enough noise as it deserved, the '80s elements [on this record] resonated with me. There were some '80s funk pop vibes on it, funk guitars, and things like that that I thought were interesting. Even visually, the video for the Naomi Campbell song, 'Every Girl You Ever Loved,' kind of looked like the George Michael 'Freedom! '90' music video with the supermodels in the warehouse. I was like, Oh, I see the references here.
I feel like there were some moments where the sound felt very big, and maybe that's just because we saw it in a theater. And also re-listening to the 'Prelude' just now, there's a narration; there's an overture, basically. That feels cinematic to me.
There were parts that I did find interesting, even though right now, a week out from when we heard it, I don't remember every single song. But I do remember there were certain moments that surprised me, like the Brittany Howard feature. I was like, 'That's so interesting. And you guys do sound good together,' because when Miley does a rock vocal, she sounds so good. She's playing around with her voice and her sound in ways that I find amusing and surprising.
SM: I find it fascinating she's marketing this as a capital 'F' film when, as she said, a lot of it is just her posing in Mugler, which, slay. All for it. But is there a story in the film? No.
EG: I agree. I don't really know if it counts as a film narratively, but the wardrobe—
SM: Ate.
EG: Wardrobe department ate, makeup department ate, hair ate, but also had interesting choices. The high ponytail.
SM: The high ponytail was really shocking to me.
EG: And the three pointy spikes. That was very fun.
SM: I've been thinking about how I have friends who are Swifties, Little Monsters, members of Rihanna's Navy, but I don't have friends who are Smilers. Maybe that's on me, but they seem harder to identify. In that case, I don't see this as an album that welcomes new fans in. I don't know if there's a hit that does that. Maybe it's the Naomi Campbell song or 'Walk of Fame,' but I don't think she has a 'Flowers' here. Her 2024 Grammys performance felt so celebratory, and I don't know if this will continue the hype.
SM: I'm going to say something bold: I think we need to start recognizing Miley Cyrus as one of the best vocalists of our generation. I think she is often overlooked, but her vocals are so unmatched. She has this growl that is incredible. The notes she hits are insane. I actually don't know if I've ever heard her off-pitch. I think she is a phenomenal vocalist with such an incredible range and ability to do a variety of genres. When we're talking about the great vocalists, we often forget about her. And I think this album showcased her voice in a really great way.
EG: There were parts of 'More to Lose' or one of the other ballads where you could really feel the emotion. I love hearing her on a rock or folky sound. I will always remember her backyard session cover of 'Jolene.' It's so good. It was 12 years ago, and I remember at that time thinking, 'Oh my gosh, this is the direction she's going to go in and it will fit so well. She's going to be a folky singer-songwriter-y artist.' But she really kept me on my toes because she went on to do Bangerz, Younger Now, Plastic Hearts, Endless Summer Vacation, and now this. It just says that there's so much in her, and she has so much to explore.
SM: That's a really good track. It's wild to me that, before the album came out, she was releasing songs in order [of the track list]. She did not pick the singles correctly.
EG: Right. And something we've discussed a lot is to not release your best song as your first single, but like, release it as one of them.
SM: It shouldn't be the first single, but the second, sure.
EG: Like 'Abracadabra.'
SM: I literally wrote, 'Very '80s Joan Jett, Billy Idol.'
EG: And those are two features on Plastic Hearts!
EG: I did like 'Easy Lover.'
SM: I said it was 'jazz country.'
EG: It had an upbeat vibe, but it was also kind of rustic at the same time. Her voice was raspy there, and that was really cool. I also wrote, 'She's making a ponytail comeback.'
SM: I did not enjoy, unfortunately, 'Golden Burning Sun.' And I do think a lot of the songs melded together, and that was one where I was like, 'Let's go, let's go, let's go [move it along].' Unfortunately, this album reminds me a bit of Radical Optimism. I think there are pure bangers on that album. I loved 'Falling Forever.' I was listening to 'Training Season' this morning. I love 'Houdini.' But then the rest of it, I'm like, 'Okay.' I felt very similarly about Something Beautiful too, where I love certain ones, but I was like, 'This album's falling a little flat for me.' I'm curious if it's going to have a similar treatment where it's like, you have this hit album—for Miley, Endless Summer Vacation, for Dua, Future Nostalgia—then you release a follow-up that doesn't hit the zeitgeist as much.
SM: 'Every Girl You've Ever Loved' with Naomi is incredible. That is going to become a 'Sam in his underwear at 1 A.M. with a glass of whiskey, dancing with my microphone' song.
EG: The living room concert series. I need to know how she got Naomi Campbell not just in the video, but as a feature on the song.
SM: The crowd gasped when she showed up.
EG: And then was fully screaming when they strutted together.
SM: I mean, it was iconic. I have had this experience with Normani on 'Take My Time,' Dua Lipa with 'Falling Forever,' when you're not 100-percent vibing with an album, and then a song comes, and you're just like, 'We're back.' I was like, 'Pose.'
EG: Obviously the Madonna inspiration seems so present there. Again, another '80s influence.
SM: And ballroom, which, she said this is her gayest album.
EG: It was interesting that not only was he in the videos, but he was also credited with writing a lot of the songs. They're really in it.
SM: I mean, that's such a trend right now: Fall in love and write music with your person, like Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky.
SM: I think she's a really cool celebrity. She seems down-to-earth. Seeing her in person, she really seems to care about her fans. I just think she has a great persona. Hit me up, Miley. Let's be friends.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.