Miley Cyrus is wasting no time beginning another chapter. Just over a year after releasing the ambitious Something Beautiful, the Grammy-winning singer has announced her tenth studio album, Bass Persuades, arriving September 18, 2026.
And apparently, a new Miley era calls for a little reinvention. Ahead of the announcement, Cyrus removed her last name from her social media accounts and began presenting herself simply as MILEY — joining that wonderfully exclusive club of stars who really don't need a surname anymore.
The album's title is a playful twist on the familiar phrase "bass persuades," but Miley has given it a deeper emotional meaning. In announcing the project, she described music as something that can be powerful and vulnerable, sweet and strong, encompassing everything from a full heart to heartbreak and all the messy life in between.
That description seems particularly fitting for an artist whose career has been built on transformation.
A Love Story — But Not a Simple One
Before officially revealing the album, Miley had already offered a few clues about where her music was heading. She described the project as a love story, although not necessarily the straightforward romantic variety.
Love, as Miley sees it these days, has layers.
The record reportedly explores both romantic love and the relationship a person develops with themselves. Miley has spoken about experiencing a more peaceful kind of love in recent years, something that has influenced her music as well as her personal evolution.
That could make Bass Persuades an interesting companion to albums such as Endless Summer Vacation and Something Beautiful. Rather than completely abandoning one musical identity for another — something Miley has famously done throughout her career — this era may find her connecting several versions of herself.
The Bass Persuades Tracklist
The new album contains 10 tracks, including collaborations with Model/Actriz and Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow:
- Bass Persuades
- Different Religion featuring Model/Actriz
- Let's Get Married
- Orbit
- Aftermath
- REDLIGHTS
- Neon Signs featuring Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow
- Innocent Ways
- Snow
- Bass Persuades Remixx
Even without hearing the songs, there are some intriguing titles in there. "Let's Get Married" immediately raises an eyebrow considering Miley's engagement to musician Maxx Morando, while titles such as "Aftermath," "Innocent Ways" and "Snow" suggest there may be considerably more emotional territory to explore than the album's cheeky title initially lets on.
A teaser for the project has also given fans a taste of its musical direction, with Miley wielding an electric guitar over a groove driven heavily by — appropriately enough — bass.
Miley Is Returning to the Stage
The new era won't exist only in the studio.
Following the album's September release, Miley will perform two shows at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 16 and October 18. Remarkably, despite her long connection to Los Angeles and years of attending performances at the venue, these will mark her first time taking the Hollywood Bowl stage herself.
It's a fitting location for an artist who increasingly seems interested in presenting her music as a complete experience rather than simply releasing a collection of singles.
Another Reinvention — or the Most Miley She's Ever Been?
Trying to predict what a Miley Cyrus album will sound like has always been part of the fun.
Over the years, she's bounced through Disney pop, hip-hop-influenced pop, psychedelic experimentation, country, glam rock, '80s-inspired rock and sophisticated adult pop — sometimes sounding like several of those things during the same album.
Bass Persuades arrives at an especially interesting moment. Miley is no longer trying to prove that she can escape Hannah Montana, shock an audience or reinvent herself simply for the sake of reinvention. After nearly two decades in the spotlight, she has amassed enough musical identities that she can now pick and choose from all of them.
Perhaps that's why shortening her professional name to simply Miley feels surprisingly appropriate.
At this point, who else could it possibly be?
Bass Persuades arrives September 18, 2026 over on Amazon (CD or Digital) and iTunes.
Album Promo
