Miley Cyrus has created a visual film that goes in hand in hand with her new album, both titled Something Beautiful. We attended the international cinematic premiere of the visual album and it was spectacular.
Alongside her newly released album, Something Beautiful, Miley Cyrus has created a vibrant visual film to complement every single song on the album.
The movie feels like chasing Miley through a lucid dream, getting blinded by beauty and serenaded by song. It’s a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience, directed by Jacob Bixenman, Brendan Walter and Miley Cyrus herself. With a lot of drama and so many jaw dropping looks, the styles are by Bradley Kenneth.
Prelude is the best introduction to this album, once again, in visual terms. Using flowers to demonstrate the fragility and femininity in Something Beautiful, while possibly nodding back to her last era, Endless Summer Vacation, where the hit single Flowers returned Miley to centre stage and audiences gained a new-found appreciation for her music. This is also where we see that iconic spring-summer 1997 Mugler outfit, dropping in crystals, that is also showcased on the cover of the album.
The title track Something Beautiful is where the film sets the foundation for the visuals ahead. With such strong imagery matching the striking twists and turns in the music. Miley walks into the room wearing a custom Mugler outfit covered head to toe in emerald green feathers, by Casey Cadwallader.
Next comes End of the World with ethereal themes throughout and a set in stone dream-like quality. With bouncy waves in her hair and another astonishing custom Mugler outfit, you’ll learn that Miley came to win in this era. After getting a glimpse of him during Something Beautiful, Miley brings her long-term boyfriend and talented musician Maxx Morando to the forefront. As she dances around him playing the drums. A fitting feature as he also helped write and produce the majority of the album. Alongside Shawn Everett, Michael Pollack, Jonathan Rado, and of course, Miley herself.
More to Lose turns the film to black and white, altering us to a literal change in tone as Miley slows down the music for one of her classic ballads. Dressed in the dripping crystal Mugler from the cover but also introducing us to a sleek, black, floor length dress by Bob Mackie. Paired with a hollywood glamour up do and a single tear streaked down her cheek. The visuals are stripped back for this one, in keeping with the song, which allows us to instead focus on the vocals.
This takes us to Interlude 1, which in my opinion has some of the most artistic visuals and one of the strongest outfits. Miley wears yet another Mugler look, consisting of a fitted and shoulder padded black blazer; a side split pencil skirt; a sultry garter with stockings; and an unforgettable mesh balaclava which balances the look expertly on the edge of feminine and masculine. Not to mention the bright red lip, bringing power to the lyric-less interlude.
Easy Lover begins with Miley dressing down from her girl boss outfit into a mindblowing teal look. Finished with feather chaps and a beaded bra. The visuals weave in more Hollywood showgirl references with the stylised dressing room and red background, as we see Miley getting her makeup and hair done whilst flicking through a script. Then she struts through the studio lot and provides us with perfect, quirky choreography.
Interlude 2 is our second transition and pulls us through into act two. With more strobe lights and this time choreographed dancers, who undress Miley out of her feathered chaps and put her into the next sickening look ready for the next song, Golden Burning Sun.
The visuals for Golden Burning Sun has Miley dressed in what has been a staple of this era, leather and sunglasses. Posed on top of a motorcycle with her hair billowing in the wind as depictions of the sun are shown behind her. Giving us the feeling we’re riding off into the sunset with Miley, going out in a theatrical fashion (of course).
Up next is the fan favourite Walk of Fame (feat. Brittany Howard), which earned a lot of screams during the screening before the video had even begun. The sassiest and most sensational version of Miley, as she made the concrete her stage. It takes place on Hollywood Boulevard with so many hair flips I couldn’t keep count. It felt like a scene from Burlesque as the shop signs and UV lights flicker around her. It truly was the moment. It is also extremely fitting since it has just been revealed that Miley is finally being honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Pretend You’re God is described by Miley in her own words:
My hair looks sickening. My dress is sickening. My makeup is sickening. Set, sickening. Camera operation sickening. Song sickening. Lighting was gorgeous. Production was sickening. Pretend You’re God is sickening, and you know it.
And I couldn’t describe it better. It looked as if an ancient Greek goddess had ascended upon us both in visuals and vocals, wearing archive Jean Paul Gaultier.
Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved (feat. Naomi Campbell) earned yet more applause from the screening. It brought the drama, it brought looks, and most importantly it brought the soundtrack to the summer. In matching black Mugler bodysuits both Cyrus and Campbell strutted through a cinematic abandoned warehouse and met in the middle to create this dream collaboration.
After that came Reborn. Completed viewed through a camcorder-type lens, which added an extra artistic layer to the piece separating it from the other songs in the film. This song tells a story of healing through new love, so of course Miley’s boyfriend Maxx Morando holds a presence in the video. The visuals are incredibly intimate and reference back once again to old school Hollywood magic with a rain scene. However, my favourite of all the visuals was the silhouette of Miley dancing against a mirror, with the VHS tape lens. Breathtaking.
Finally, as the credits roll, we see Give Me Love an extravagant end to this cinematic journey. The song is based on the painting Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, which makes a beautiful symphony when you pair the music and the art together. Miley is wearing more feathers but this time they frame her upper body into a sphere and are coloured red and black with streaks of yellow feathers. Halfway through this feathered cape drops to reveal a stylised, sequin, leopard print bodysuit. Miley stands singing directly to us, allowing us to read the emotions on her face. Behind her is a spotlight of orange, invoking nostalgia and warmth as the song softly comes to an end.
Something Beautiful the visual album is setting a bar for artists on how they interpret music and showcase their work to us, as fans. The commitment from Miley Cyrus and her team in this entire production is clear and has paid off. From writing the album to its press tour, Miley has put her heart and soul into this project 100% and in turn has created a fully formed experience for fans and future generations to come. This will not be soon forgotten and is once again showing Miley to be a living legend.
Something Beautiful, the visual album, is also due to be released on Disney+ on 16th July.
Watch the trailer for the visual album below.
Image source of featured image.
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