Miley Cyrus Announces New Single “Malibu,” Talks Kendrick And Trump
Miley Cyrus has a new album coming out, and its first single, “Malibu,” is arriving next week. The pop star just announced the news with a new cover story on Billboard, in which she discusses the as-yet untitled LP, her relationship with fiance Liam Hemsworth, her appreciation of Kendrick Lamar, the current political climate, and more.
While 2013’s Bangerz was heavily influenced by Mike Will Made-It and 2015’s Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz was heavily influenced by Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips, Miley’s latest promises to be her most personal yet. She wrote all of the lyrics and melodies herself, and producer Oren Yoel, who co-wrote the Bangerz track “Adore You,” played all of the instruments. Writer John Norris describes lead single “Malibu” as “gimmick-free pop-rock unlike anything she has recorded before,” while the rest of the record “adds an unprecedented dose of twang to a mix that includes quiet acoustic turns and epic pop.”
Although Cyrus is hesitant to label the album a “political record,” it does include a song for Hillary Clinton and another for women in the workplace. “This record is a reflection of the fact that yes, I don’t give a fuck, but right now is not a time to not give a fuck about people,” Miley says. And she hopes her music can reach those who disagree with her too:
I like the way I think right now. But don’t Trump supporters like the way they think? So I’ve also got to be open with the way I approach people with my opinions. That’s the only way to make real change. And it’s not because I want to sell records! I know now the ways that don’t work. Because I went really hard during the election. But at the end of the day, we lost. We won, but because the system is fucked up, we lost. I thought, “OK. I learned my lesson on this one.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Miley reveals that just like the rest of the world, she is a big Kendrick lamar fan:
I also love that new Kendrick song: “Show me somethin’ natural like ass with some stretch marks.” I love that because it’s not “Come sit on my dick, suck on my cock.” I can’t listen to that anymore. That’s what pushed me out of the hip-hop scene a little. It was too much “Lamborghini, got my Rolex, got a girl on my cock” — I am so not that.
But perhaps the most shocking revelation is the fact that Cyrus hasn’t smoked weed in three weeks. “I like to surround myself with people that make me want to get better, more evolved, open,” she says. “And I was noticing, it’s not the people that are stoned. I want to be super clear and sharp, because I know exactly where I want to be … I’m not doing drugs, I’m not drinking, I’m completely clean right now! That was just something that I wanted to do.”