Miley Cyrus has done it again. The pop maverick’s latest visual offering — a dreamy music video for “End of the World” — arrives like a glitter bomb of nostalgia and modern flair, marking the third glimpse into her upcoming ninth studio album, Something Beautiful.
The video feels like stumbling into some hazy, neon-lit ’70s nightclub that’s been transported to 2025. Cyrus, ever the visual storyteller, commands the screen in an emerald Mugler mini-dress that somehow manages to channel both Studio 54 and tomorrow’s red carpet. There’s something deliciously meta about watching her navigate this retro-future landscape she’s created alongside directors Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter.
“Let’s pretend it’s not the end of the world,” she sings, her voice carrying that distinctive blend of honey and grit that’s become her calling card. The soft-rock ballad marks yet another evolution for the artist — though, really, when hasn’t Cyrus been evolving?
What’s particularly fascinating about this new era is the sheer ambition behind it. Fresh off her somewhat surprising Grammy win with Beyoncé for “II Most Wanted” (who saw that country collaboration coming?), Cyrus isn’t just making an album — she’s crafting what she’s dubbed a “pop opera.” It’s the kind of swing-for-the-fences move that could either become legendary or land with a thud, but that’s always been part of her charm.
The Tennessee native’s comparison to Pink Floyd’s The Wall might raise some eyebrows, but there’s something refreshingly bold about her vision for Something Beautiful. “Like The Wall, but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous,” she explains, adding that it’s meant to be “filled with pop culture.” Whether this ambitious fusion will resonate with audiences remains to be seen, but you can’t fault her for dreaming big.
Behind the scenes, Cyrus has assembled quite the creative dream team. The album, dropping May 30 via Columbia, brings together executive producer Shawn Everett with songwriting heavyweights Michael Pollack, Jonathan Rado, and Maxx Morando. Their collaborative fingerprints are all over “End of the World,” which somehow manages to feel both timeless and thoroughly modern.
Perhaps most intriguing is Cyrus’s stated mission for the album — “an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music.” It’s the kind of statement that might sound pretentious coming from someone else, but from an artist who’s spent nearly two decades shape-shifting through pop culture, it feels earned.
The May release will be accompanied by an album-length film, because apparently, Cyrus didn’t get the memo about scaling back creative ambitions in uncertain times. Then again, when has playing it safe ever been her style?
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