When Miley Cyrus went on the VMAs stage twerking and wearing a nude bodysuit, the world was pretty shocked. That (in)famous performance – which was in 2013 by the way – marked the end of her Hannah Montana days, making it clear that Miley wouldn’t play the role model anymore (a role she never really managed to fit into, if you think about when she was caught smoking bong at 17 years old).
As a hardcore fan, I have followed her every move. Just like everyone else, I was equally shocked after her VMAs performance, but I still thought she was pretty cool. I’ve always thought that Miley’s voice was raw and powerful, but the media paid too much attention on her appeal to even recognize her talent.
Miley went from the outrageous Bangerz (with hits like “Wrecking Ball”, “Adore You” and “We Can’t Stop”) to the experimental Miley and her Dead Petz. A couple of years later, she came back with not-so-well-received Younger Now. In the following years, she softened her vocal skills to come back with the best sound she could possibly have: performances like “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” are a prove of that. When “Nothing Breaks Like A Heart” came out, Miley’s voice was beautifully rasping and touching, giving me hope she would soon publish an album with a similar sound. She later published the EP She Is Coming, which included feminist anthems like “Mother’s Daughter”, together with bolder songs like “Cattitude” and “Unholy”. As much as I liked Miley’s new vibe, I felt like she could do better.
With the new single “Midnight Sky”, my wishes have finally come true. With this track, Miley is giving us vintage disco-pop vibes in a song about the sense of freedom and independence which comes after a breakup. Cyrus is finally flaunting her vocal skills, as well as inspiring confidence in a glossy self-directed music video. Miley is at her rawest as she stands tall while singing “I don’t need to be loved by you” in a song full of different musical influences. Her vocals seem to have been inspired by Stevie Nicks, while the looks take inspiration from Debbie Harry and David Bowie. Also, I personally felt Arctic Monkey’s influence in the line “Yeah, it's been a long night and the mirror's telling me to go home”, which somehow recalls “The mirror’s image tells me it’s home time”, from Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High? (let’s not forget that Miley covered the song in 2014 for MTV Unplugged – which, by the way, you should see, if you haven’t yet). Moreover, if you listen carefully to the pre-chorus (minutes: 2:28 – 2:32) you’ll hear a subtle and slowed down reprise of Dua Lipa’s pre-chorus in Break My Heart (minutes: 0:42 – 0:47 “Centre of attention / You know you can get whatever you want from me”).
Filled with references and influenced by the best, it’s safe to say that this song will be played on repeat on my Spotify account for the next months.
I’m definitely in for this new era. Are you?
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