The pop star previously said her ninth album was inspired by Pink Floyd’s The Wall and the Nicolas Cage movie Mandy
Miley Cyrus has finally announced a release date for her next album, Something Beautiful, set to arrive May 30 via Columbia Records.
Along with sharing the title and release date, Cyrus revealed the cover art for the record. The portrait was taken by famed fashion photographer Glen Luchford, and finds Cyrus wearing an archival 1997 Thierry Mugler piece, which was described in a statement as “a striking nod to the album’s bold aesthetic and visual storytelling.”
Something Beautiful will be Cyrus’ ninth studio album and first in two years, following 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation. Executive produced by Cyrus and Shawn Everett, the new LP will include 13 tracks and is a “visual album,” per a press release.
Further particulars regarding that “bold aesthetic” remain unclear with Cyrus yet to share any additional music or visuals from Something Beautiful. What is known is that Cyrus’ main collaborator on the project is producer Everett (who also worked on Endless Summer Vacation), and some of her biggest influences for the album came by way of Pink Floyd’s The Wall and the 2018 Nicolas Cage movie Mandy.
Speaking with Harpers Bazaar last fall, Cyrus called the project a “hypnotizing and glamorous” concept album “that’s an attempt to medicate somewhat of a sick culture through music.” She said she wanted to make something like The Wall “but with a better wardrobe and more glamorous and filled with pop culture.”
There may also be a revenge story inspired by Mandy, with the original film telling the story of a lumberjack (played by Cage) who goes after the cult that killed his girlfriend. “Romance and revenge — those are some of the greatest tragedies,” Cyrus said at the time. “I forever and always will be interested in those.”
Early on in the process, Cyrus even reached out to Mandy director Panos Cosmatos to pursue a full remake of the film. While that project was abandoned, Cosmatos stuck around to help develop what will likely be a visual accompaniment to Something Beautiful (though no specific details about that have been announced yet.)
Something Beautiful will be Cyrus’ ninth studio album and first in two years, following 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation.
