‘Something Beautiful with Miley Cyrus’ Review: The Star Co-Directs an Album’s Worth of Her Music Videos, Celebrating Her Sexuality…and Herself

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Few popular musicians today don’t incorporate some aspect of their sexuality in their image. Notably, artists such as Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Charli XCX often express their sexuality in an ironic, sarcastic, or masked manner, maintaining a sense of detachment or control.

Miley Cyrus seemed to have missed the same message that others received. In “Something Beautiful,” her latest visual album made up of music videos (co-directed with Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter), featuring 13 tracks from her newly released album, Cyrus showcases her boldness and emotional intensity. She moves and poses in a way that’s reminiscent of a gymnast’s agility, and at times, it seems she’s using her beauty as a tool, almost attempting to etch the force of her sensual aura deep into our psyches.

Tonight, at the Tribeca Festival, the visual album “Something Beautiful” made its debut, and the crowd enthusiastically applauded every bold glance from the femme fatales, every suggestive move by the showgirls, every discarded item of sleek punk designer attire. It was evident that Cyrus created these videos not just as a celebration of rock-star ego, but as a tribute to an era when expressing one’s sexuality was less guarded. She aims to transport us back to the time of uninhibited freedom.

Miley Cyrus’s style and music are considered “pre-ironic,” meaning they have a retro or nostalgic feel, similar to Bruce Springsteen’s in some ways. In her music videos like “Something Beautiful” and “Easy Lover,” she seems to be attempting to turn her explicit sexuality into a mythical narrative. In the video for “Easy Lover,” she is seen stripping down to her underwear in a soundstage dressing room, then strutting across an empty Hollywood lot in light-blue ruffled chaps and a winged jacket, as if to suggest that what we see is merely an illusion. The song “Golden Burning Sun” from the album, with its catchy tune, features Miley wearing giant sunglasses on a motorbike against a stylized orange sky, singing about being the only one under the sun. Despite the modern spirit of her recent hit “Flowers,” and the hype around Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” as a potential summer anthem, Miley Cyrus’s passionate songs can feel just as traditional or devotional as music from the 1980s.

As a passionate cinephile, I can’t help but feel a strong ’80s vibe permeating throughout this visual album. It’s like a captivating blend of “Flashdance” and Lita Ford, with plenty of wind-swept hair adding to the retro charm. The music video for “Walk of Fame” opens on a rhythm that echoes Bronski Beat’s “Smalltown Boy,” setting the stage for Miley, clad in a little silver dress, confidently strolling down Hollywood Boulevard under the glow of street lights and shop windows at midnight. The anticipation builds as you expect Mia Goth to appear with a knife, but it’s just Cyrus owning the spotlight, gracefully contorting and posing over those famous stars on the Walk of Fame. Throughout the video, I found myself imagining a fashion photographer off-screen, urging, “Yes, that’s it! Show me what you got!

Next, we reach “Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved,” which seems to be the peak of the visual album. It appears to be set in an empty loft warehouse, illuminated by light streaming through propeller fans (very reminiscent of Adrian Lyne). Miley, demonstrating her raw feminine strength, is joined by Naomi Campbell in this number, making it clear that they don’t need anyone else. The only male presence in these videos appears at the end, resembling a model from Calvin Klein, as captured by Kenneth Anger.

At the red-carpet event for “Something Beautiful,” the journalist seated beside me remarked, “There’s no story here at all.” Given that this production was billed as a Tribeca Festival showcase, I suspect she anticipated a visual narrative similar to Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.” However, let me clarify that “Something Beautiful” is far from that. While the videos may appear devoid of a conventional storyline, I wouldn’t go as far as saying they have no narrative. Instead, they weave a compelling tale—a personal journey exploring Miley Cyrus’s connection with sexuality and fame.

In her role as a renowned pop star, Miley Cyrus often reminds one of Faye Dunaway from the early ’70s, yet without the enigma that defined Dunaway. However, in the movie “Something Beautiful,” her songs serve as runway music, suggesting an attempt to embody the allure of a mysterious performer, to make her beauty searing and cosmic. Nevertheless, it appears somewhat self-contained. The closing song, shown during the credits, is titled “Give Me Love,” and the entire film seems to revolve around this theme. We are the spectators for Miley Cyrus’s sensual power, but we also reflect the image she sees in us.

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2025-06-07 08:16