Miley Cyrus’s new era of rock music
Photo Courtesy of Variety, RCA Records
Miley Cyrus’s new album entitled “Plastic Hearts” features a new sound for the artist.
December 1, 2020
Miley Cyrus has done it again. On Nov. 27, Cyrus released a rock album entitled “Plastic Hearts” with 15 songs, five of which had already been previously released, including her popular covers of “Zombie” and “Heart of Glass.”
Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take it back a few months. On Aug. 14, Cyrus released “Midnight Sky” with a self-directed video. In several interviews, she talked about how she was heavily influenced by Stevie Nicks and the overall genre of rock music.
Back in September, Cyrus performed numerous songs at the iHeart Festival. The most popular from that night was her jaw-dropping rendition of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” When Cyrus posted a clip from this song on her Tik Tok account it blew up and she ended up putting the recording on Spotify.
Later on in October, the singer announced that her popular “backyard sessions” would be featured on MTV Unplugged. Towards the end of the month, Cyrus’s stripped backed covers were posted on YouTube and other platforms. With all the attention on her singing the popular rock songs she took it upon herself to announce the release of her seventh studio record, Plastic Hearts.
Upon the announcement of her album, Cyrus included some very personal information. On an Instagram post, she told her followers she initially started this album two years ago. She passionately wrote that so much had happened between her highly-publicized break-up and her house burning down in the California fires, that nature did her a “favor” by destroying something she couldn’t let go of herself. She wanted her album to inspire others but also reflect on her personal life, so she took her time and rebuilt what is now “Plastic Hearts.”
It was on Oct. 22, 2020, that Cyrus officially announced “Plastic Hearts” was going to be released on Nov. 27, 2020. Only a couple of short weeks later the tracklist and collaborators were announced to the public. Then on Nov. 19, Cyrus released her lead single, “Prisoner” featuring Dua Lipa.
Three songs that had already been released were “Midnight Sky,” as well as the remix version featuring Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Midnight,” and the lead single of the album “Prisoner.” The other two features are something us fans never even imagined, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and Billy Idol are the two final features.
I personally think every song on this track is worth mentioning, but I’ll keep it down to my current top two. Midnight Sky was the beginning of this current rock era of Miley, the lyrics are beautifully structured and made so that anyone can relate to. Next up has to be Bad Karma (feat. Joan Jett), this is a collaboration I never knew I needed. Their voices flow so well together, and the beat makes everyone in the room want to dance and I find myself humming the song non-stop.
As I said above, every single song on this album is perfect. The amount of time and effort put into this record is heard in each lyric. Miley Cyrus’s voice is meant for rock. This new era of Miley is so unexpected and exciting I cannot wait for what’s to come.