Something Beautiful (Miley Cyrus Album)

''Something Beautiful'' is the ninth studio album by American singer Miley Cyrus. It was released on May 30, 2025, through Columbia Records and was accompanied by a musical film of the same name on June 6, 2025. It is a visual album with existential themes, centered around healing from trauma and finding beauty in the darkest moments of life. Cyrus executively produced the album with Shawn Everett and collaborated with various musicians, including Molly Rankin and Alec O'Henley of Alvvays, Cole Haden of Model/Actriz, Danielle Haim, Flea, Pino Palladino, and Adam Granduciel of the War on Drugs. Naomi Campbell and Brittany Howard appear as guest artists.

The album was supported by the lead single " End of the World", as well as the promotional singles "Prelude", the title track, and "More to Lose". "Easy Lover" was issued as a single weeks after the album's release. ''Something Beautiful'' was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. The album topped the charts in Austria and has charted within the top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Concept

In November 2024, through an interview with ''Harper's Bazaar'', Cyrus announced she was working on a new album titled ''Something Beautiful''. Inspired by Pink Floyd's ''The Wall'' (1979), she described the record as a visual album that centers around the theme of "healing". She initially planned to hold a series of intimate performances of the album in "visually pleasing spaces" like forests, but she abandoned the idea in favor of the visual film, which she described as her "way of touring". She began teasing her upcoming album on March 17, 2025, by updating her visuals on social media and her website as well as teasing the project through posters around the world. She announced the album on March 24. On May 19, she revealed the track listing for the album, including features with Brittany Howard and Naomi Campbell.

Themes and composition

Consisting of thirteen songs, ''Something Beautiful'' was executive produced by Cyrus and Shawn Everett. It is a pop and progressive pop album. Its artwork was photographed by Glen Luchford and features Cyrus draped in archival 1997 Thierry Mugler couture, which was described as a "striking nod" to the album's "bold" aesthetic and visual storytelling. Miley described the album as "hypnotic", created as "an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music". The album's themes center around beauty, death, psychedelia, impermanence, heartbreak, and destruction. When discussing the thematic inspiration for the album, she claimed "the nastiest times of our life do have a point of beauty. They are the shadow, they are the charcoal, they are the shading. You can't have a painting without highlights and contrast."

Songs

''Something Beautiful'' begins with "Prelude", an existential spoken word intro supported by electronic instrumentals. Its lyrics find Cyrus detailing the experience of capturing beauty in passing moments, exploring existential thoughts, and contemplates the duality of beauty. It drew comparisons to Tangerine Dream sci-fi scores, spaghetti Western overtures and Laurie Anderson. The album's title track starts out as an alternative R&B ballad fused with soul and jazz influences. During the chorus, it "explodes" into experimental rock and psychedelic pop, highlighted by Cyrus' distorted vocals. " End of the World" is a disco-inflected pop anthem about mortality and escapism in the face of an inevitable apocalypse. The song explores the "juxtaposition between the happiness of being with someone you love while the world is crashing down around you". "More to Lose" is a "cinematic" ballad with guitar, piano, and string instrumentation; its introspective lyrics reflect on a failed relationship.

Accompanying film

The album's accompanying musical film was written and directed by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter. It was produced by Columbia Records, Sony Music Vision, Live Nation Entertainment and XYZ Films. It premiered on June 6, 2025, at the Tribeca Festival. It was released theatrically for one night only, on June 12, 2025, in the United States and Canada and on June 27 internationally.

Promotion

Singles and promotional singles

On March 31, 2025, "Prelude" was released, along with its music video. The same day, the title track and its music video were released.

Billboards in Times Square, New York City, began teasing the release of another track, " End of the World", with a teaser video published on Cyrus' official website. It was released on April 3, 2025, as the album's lead single. The song peaked at the 43rd position on the ''Billboard'' Global 200. In the United States, it debuted and peaked at number 52 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top 20 on Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Adult Contemporary charts. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number 23 on the UK Singles Chart. The song performed better in Europe, peaking in the top 10 in multiple countries.

On May 9, "More to Lose" was released along with its music video. An edited version of the "Walk of Fame" was released on May 28. Two days later, coinciding with the album's release, the music video for "Easy Lover" was released. A limited edition vinyl of " Every Girl You've Ever Loved" is set to be issued on July 11, 2025.

Live performances and appearances

On May 3, Cyrus premiered "More to Lose" during a small-scale performance at Casa Cipriani in New York City. Spotify hosted "An Evening with Miley Cyrus" album listening and film screening event for a limited number of fans in New York City on May 6. On May 21, her interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music was released. The following day, she appeared on ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', where she performed "More to Lose". On May 27, she held a private concert at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles for selected fans discovered on TikTok, where she performed "More to Lose", "Easy Lover", "Flowers", " The Climb" and "End of the World".

After album's release, she held a series of intimate performances. On May 30, she appeared unannounced on the album release ball at the 3 Dollar Bill Club on Brooklyn, where she performed "Easy Lover". On June 2, she sang "More to Lose", "Easy Love" and "Flowers" during the surprise performance at Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. On June 4, she held an album signing along with the live performance at the Rough Trade shop in New York. On the same day, she appeared on ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon''. On the next day her interview on the ''Every Single Album'' podcast was released. On June 18, she performed "End of the World", "More to Lose" and "Easy Lover", along with older songs, during her concert at the Maxim's in Paris, held for Spotify's Billions Club Live.

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''Something Beautiful'' was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics, with many praising it as one of Cyrus' most ambitious and introspective works to date.

''Rolling Stone'' Rob Sheffield described the album as "Cyrus aiming higher than ever", calling it "a wide-ranging search for light (and sax solos) in the darkness", and noting its conceptual ambition inspired by ''The Wall''. Nick Levine of ''NME'' called it "a fully realized artistic statement", adding that Cyrus "records what she wants, when she wants, because she knows she's got the chops to pull it off". He highlighted the album's cinematic elements and praised its genre-blending confidence. Roisin O'Connor of ''The Independent'' opined that the album "isn't quite as crazy or groundbreaking as she seems to think, but its spirit of adventure encapsulates what we've come to know and love about one of our most frustrating yet endearing pop stars". In ''Slant Magazine'', Sal Cinquemani wrote that "unlike that of its predecessor 'Endless Summer Vacation''">Endless_Summer_Vacation.html" ;"title="'Endless Summer Vacation">'Endless Summer Vacation'' the music on ''Something Beautiful'' oozes as much personality as the singer herself". Alexis Petridis of ''The Guardian'' called the album "very well written and well made, a varied succession of good vehicles for Cyrus’s powerfully raspy voice". Matt Mitchell wrote in ''Paste (magazine), Paste'' that "Miley Cyrus at her very best was well worth the wait", adding that "eclecticism is no longer lost in the void of marketable tracklists". ''Sputnikmusic'' Dakota West Foss called the album "an absolute triumph that casts aside any qualifiers to make a strong bid for the best major pop album of 2025 so far". AllMusic Heather Phares opined that "Cyrus' restless creativity and expert craft is a formidable combination, and at its best, ''Something Beautiful'' has a fearlessness and sensuality that could be the beginning of something exciting for her music".

''The Arts Desk'' Joe Muggs opined that the album "sounds like a billion dollars" and praised the production, but criticized the songwriting. He called it "yet another wonderfully messy instalment in a brilliantly messy career – and maybe, maybe a hint of the masterpiece she surely has in her yet". Wren Graves wrote in ''Consequence'' described it "top-to-bottom vocal showcase, with some poetry and a couple of conceptual touches", but "far from perfect", adding that "the result is messy, ambitious, occasionally frustrating, and one-of-a-kind". Megan LaPierre of ''Exclaim!'' complimented the production and vocals, but opined that "dizzy on the comedown, you're unable to remember a single lyrical platitude or recycled melody", describing the album as "all style and no substance". '' Clash'' Robin Murray opined that the album "is searching for a unity that doesn’t quite coalesce, all while lacking some of the towering peaks of Miley's more commercially-focussed work".

In ''Pitchfork'', Madison Bloom described ''Something Beautiful'' as a tonally inconsistent concept album that begins powerfully with its lead singles but stumbles with generic pop-rock and nonsensical lyrics. While praising Cyrus' vocals, Bloom complained about the album's lack of direction and did not believe its ambitions were fully embodied, calling this "a concept album without a concept". ''The Daily Telegraph'' Neil McCormick deemed it "practically unlistenable" and "parade of trite ditties". Ed Power of ''The Irish Times'' called the album "ambitious yet patchy and underwhelming record", as well as "largely colourless and lustreless".

Commercial performance

In the United States, ''Something Beautiful'' debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200, earning 44,000 album-equivalent units, including 27,000 pure album sales. It became Cyrus' fifteenth top 10 album. ''Something Beautiful'' fell 98 spots to number 102 in its second week on the chart, before falling off the chart entirely in the third week of release. Within the United Kingdom, it entered at number three on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the highest new entry of the week and Cyrus' seventh top 10 album. Elsewhere, it opened at number four on Australia's ARIA Albums Chart.

Track listing

Credits adapted via ''Pitchfork''.

Notes

* indicates an additional producer.
* "Every Girl You've Ever Loved" contains a sample of "Work It" (Soulwax remix), written by Marie Davidson, David Dewaele, Stephen Dewaele, and Pierre Guerineau, and performed by Davidson.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from album liner notes.

Locations

* Strings and organ recorded at Bandrika Studios, Los Angeles
* Engineered at the Village, Los Angeles
* Mixed and mastered at Subtle McNugget Studios, Los Angeles

Musicians

* Miley Cyrus – vocals , vocal loop pad , Minimoog
* Shawn Everett – sound effects, foley ; drum programming , synthesizer programming ; Teenage Engineering choir programming, claps programming ; vocal loop pad programming ; stomps, string synthesizers, programming ; ambient sculpture , TB-303 , MS-20 programming , TB-303 programming ; LinnDrum programming, vocoder programming ; TR-909 programming, choir instrument ; screen horns, string programming, choir programming, guitar programming
* Jonathan Rado – EMS Synthi ; sound effects, foley ; Moog System 55 , Fairlight CMI , Barr-Fox Wurlitzer Theater Organ programming , MS-20 , Mellotron , vibraphone , piano , CS-80 , Lexicon Prime Time , electric guitar , acoustic guitar ; Yamaha CP-70, six-string bass, Juno-106, LinnDrum, high-strung acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, bass, percussion ; treatments ; Hammond B3, tape loops ; Marxophone , tubular bells ; drums, choir sample programming, Rhodes , synthesizer programming ; guitar, stomps ; Wurlitzer 200a , ARP Quartet ; Waldorf Wave, JP-8000, clavinet, Roland JV-1080, JV-1080, Roland Juno-60, Juno-60 ; slide guitar ; LinnDrum programming, MPC programming, melodic bass, TR-808 programming, Elka Synthex ; Oberheim Electronics, Oberheim, Tremolo, trem synthesizer, Akai filtering ; timpani
* Pino Palladino – bass guitar , fretless bass
* Maxx Morando – Oberheim Electronics, OB-6 , Minimoog ; ARP Solina String Ensemble, drum programming ; drums , bass , Pulsar-23 drum machine , electric guitar ; guitar, Moog DFAM, Tascam Portastudio 424 MK2 ; Perkons HD-01 ; Prophet-5, Overstayer Modular connector, modular channel ; drum machine, Kurzweil K2000
* Ian Gold – sound effects, foley ; Barr-Fox Wurlitzer Theater Organ programming ; stomps, background vocal effects ; string programming , TR-808 programming ; TB-303 programming, TR-909 programming, choir instrument, Juno-106, Wurlitzer
* Pièce Eatah – sound effects, foley
* Maxwell Karmazyn – arrangement , string leader , violin ; viola, shoulder cello
* Tim Curtis – Fairlight CMI programming , Moog System 55 programming
* Henry Solomon – saxophone , clarinets ; alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet
* Alyssa Park – first violin
* Luanne Homzy – first violin
* Ben Jacobson – first violin
* Molly Rogers – first violin , viola (3, 8)
* Wynton Grant – first violin
* Andrew Kwon – first violin
* Jessica Guediri – second violin
* Maya Magub – second violin
* Aiko Richter – second violin
* Stephanie Yu – second violin
* Eun-Mee Ahn – second violin
* Clayton Penrose-Whitmore – second violin
* Luke Maurer – viola
* Zach Dellinger – viola
* Rita Andrade – viola
* Drew Forde – viola
* Jake Braun – cello
* Charlie Tyler – cello
* Caleb Vaughn-Jones – cello
* Christine Kim – cello
* Eric Shetzen – double bass
* Jules Levy – double bass (tracks 1, 5, 7, 11, 13)
* Tim Davies (musician), Tim Davies – conductor
* Ty Woodward – organ
* Max Sheppard – Modor NF-1, Prophet-10 ; Hammond B3 ; Rhodes, OB-6 ; Kurzweil K2000 ; bass, drums, Waldorf Quantum , drum machine
* Adam Granduciel – electric guitar
* Kenny Segal – Omnichord , Sampler (musical instrument), sampler
* Nick Hakim – Rhodes, Moog Model D ; prepared piano
* Adam Schatz – tenor saxophone
* Josh Johnson – alto saxophone, saxophone solo
* Jon Natchez – baritone saxophone
* Xoco Everett – vocals
* Alec O'Hanley – synthesizers , electric guitar ; Juno, ARP Instruments, ARP, Prophet, acoustic guitar, piano, emulator ; Oberheim DMX
* Adam Millstein – violin
* Dennis Karmazyn – cello
* Molly Rankin – vocals
* Michael Pollack (songwriter), Michael Pollack – Wurlitzer 200a ; piano, choir sample programming, harpsichord ; ARP Quartet ; Juno-60, Waldorf Wave ; MS-20 , Yamaha Portasound
* BJ Burton – saxophone programming, violin programming, Sound module, modular piano
* Nelson Devereaux – saxophone
* Bed Gaunt – violin
* Drew Erickson – harpsichord, Hammond B3
* Larry Goldings – harpsichord, Hammond B3
* Sara Kawai – harp
* Sarah Barthel – choir vocals
* Nate Smith (musician), Nate Smith – rhythmic programming
* Bob Everett – drums
* Charlie Anastasis – bass
* Sam De La Torre – guitar
* Brittany Howard – electric guitar , vocals
* Justin Brown (musician), Justin Brown – drums
* Sara Watkins – fiddle
* Matt Pynn – pedal steel guitar
* Bronte Araghi – background vocal effects
* Joey Waronker – drums
* Nick Zinner – electric guitar
* Fabrienne Grisel – motorcycle
* Money Mark – clavinet
* Danielle Haim – electric guitar
* Jay Rudolph – Pollard Syndrum, Syndrum, Vermona DRM-1
* Kane Ritchotte – drums
* Thomas Bloch – Cristal Baschet, Ondes Martenot
* Flea – bass
* Naomi Campbell – spoken word
* Joseph Shabason – saxophone
* Soulwax – bass sample
* Ethan Shevin – drum machine, Kurzweil K2000, Prophet-10
* Michael Lichtenauer – choir vocals
* David Morales – choir vocals
* Luc Kleiner – choir vocals
* Dermot Kiernan – choir vocals
* Eric Lyn – choir vocals
* Matthew Broen – choir vocals
* Mariachi los Camperos – trumpets, violins, guitarrón, vihuela, harp, acoustic guitar
* Randy George – theremin
* Ashley Jarmack – Western concert flute, flute, bass flute, clarinet, oboe, tin whistle
* John R. Walters – clarinet, bass clarinet
* Patrick R. Posey – alto saxophone, baritone saxophone
* Niall Taro Ferguson – cello
* Andrew Synowiec – sitar, electric sitar
* Michael D'Addario – Nylon-string guitar, nylon-string acoustic guitar
* Kid Harpoon – drum programming, 12-string acoustic guitar, bass

Technical

* Shawn Everett – Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing, Mastering (audio), mastering, Audio engineer, engineering, vocal engineering
* Ian Gold – engineering, mixing assistance ; vocal engineering
* Pièce Eatah – engineering, vocal engineering
* Ivan Wayman – engineering
* BJ Burton – engineering
* Kid Harpoon – engineering, vocal engineering
* JC LeResche – engineering assistance, tape operation
* Alisse Laymac – engineering assistance
* Ben Miller – engineering assistance
* JC Chiam – engineering assistance
* Nick Hodges – engineering assistance
* Nicole Schmidt – engineering assistance
* Claudia Iatalese – engineering assistance
* Harry Risoleo – string engineering assistance, Barr-Fox Wurlitzer Theater Organ engineering
* Joyie Lai – string engineering assistance
* Tristan Curbishley – string engineering assistance
* Tim Reitnouer – fiddle engineering
* Teo Suarez – studio assistance

Design

* Jacob Bixenman – Creative director, creative direction
* Glen Luchford – photography
* Zak Group – design

Charts

Notes

References

{{Miley Cyrus

2025 albums
Albums produced by Shawn Everett
Albums produced by Kid Harpoon
Albums produced by Jonathan Rado
Columbia Records albums
Miley Cyrus albums