Miley Cyrus has never been afraid of reinventing herself. But on Something Beautiful, she doesn't just shift gears, she conjures a full-blown transformation. The 13-track collection is her most cinematic, soul-baring work to date, doubling as a visual album and a sweeping, existential pop opera about healing, heartbreak, and the strange light that can grow in the shadows.

Following 2023’s Endless Summer Vacation, a record that danced between self-empowerment and vulnerability, Something Beautiful goes even deeper. Written and produced by Cyrus herself, alongside friend Shawn Everett, the album is a bold, impressionistic journey through personal trauma, survival, and spiritual rebirth. “It’s about finding beauty in the darkest moments of life,” Cyrus says. “Not pretending the pain isn’t there - but walking through it with your eyes wide open.”

From the moment you lay eyes on the album cover - Cyrus draped in archival Thierry Mugler couture from 1997, photographed by Glen Luchford - you know you're entering a world that’s not just musical, but mythic. The aesthetic bleeds directly into the Something Beautiful musical film, premiering a week after the album's release. Co-directed by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, and Brendan Walter, and produced alongside cult filmmaker Panos Cosmatos (Mandy), the film reimagines the pop album as grand, theatrical spectacle - part dream, part confession, all heart.

Musically, the album soars between synth-laced ballads, dark pop lullabies, and moments of orchestral grandeur. It’s no coincidence that Alan Meyerson, who mixed Dune and The Dark Knight, was tapped to mix the film version as Something Beautiful was built to be felt at IMAX scale. But beneath the production's shimmer lies a core of unfiltered emotion. This is Cyrus at her most open, most poetic, most daring.

The songs don’t just tell stories, they exorcise ghosts. Each song acts as a chapter in a healing process, unfolding like an opera that’s equal parts personal reckoning and universal anthem. It’s the sound of a woman not just surviving but creating beauty out of her scars. At 32, Miley Cyrus is proving once again that she's not just riding pop’s musical wave - she’s bending it to her will. Something Beautiful is a reminder that there’s power in pain, and that music, when it's this honest, can be the most beautiful thing of all.