Miley Cyrus is ready to get people moving again. Her new single, “Bass Persuades,” serves as both the lead single and title track from her upcoming tenth studio album, Bass Persuades, due September 18, 2026.
And if this first taste is any indication, Miley is heading straight for the dance floor.
“Bass Persuades” trades the cinematic grandeur of 2025’s Something Beautiful for something darker, dirtier and considerably more physical. Built around throbbing bass, ’80s-inspired synths and a propulsive dance-pop beat, the track finds Miley delivering portions of the verses with an almost spoken-word swagger before opening things up into an infectious invitation to move.
But underneath all that bass is an interesting idea: what happened to dancing?
The song plays with the disconnect between modern nightlife and the days when going out actually meant losing yourself on a dance floor. Phones, social media and digital distractions have transformed the way people experience music together, and “Bass Persuades” sounds like Miley making a case for something wonderfully old-fashioned — put the phone away, turn up the music and actually dance.
That idea becomes even clearer in the accompanying music video, directed by fashion photographer Mert Alas. Miley is surrounded by dancers in a dark, provocative visual filled with leather, bodies and group choreography. Rather than relying on elaborate storytelling, the video puts movement front and center, recalling an era when choreography-heavy music videos from artists like Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Madonna could become cultural events of their own.
There are echoes of Miley’s past here, too. Throughout her career, she has bounced almost fearlessly between country, rock, psychedelic pop, hip-hop influences and polished mainstream pop. “Bass Persuades” doesn’t feel like an attempt to recreate any one previous era, though. Instead, it takes pieces of several of them and pushes them into a sweaty, after-dark setting.
The single also introduces another intriguing change: for this era, Miley Cyrus is presenting herself professionally simply as “Miley.” It’s a small alteration on paper, but after more than two decades of growing up in public, there is something fitting about an artist recognizable enough to need only one name.
The title itself has a larger meaning than simply booming speakers. Miley has described Bass Persuades as representing the way music takes hold of us — making us feel, sing, dance, release emotion and continue forward. That mixture of vulnerability and strength appears to be central to the new record, which she has described as a layered love story reflecting both romantic love and the relationship she has developed with herself.
The album will feature 10 tracks, including “Different Religion” featuring Model/Actriz, “Neon Signs” featuring Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow, “Let’s Get Married,” “Orbit,” “Aftermath,” “REDLIGHTS,” “Innocent Ways,” “Snow” and a remix of the title track.
Miley will follow the album’s September 18 release with two performances at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on October 16 and 18, giving fans their first opportunity to see this new musical chapter brought to the stage.
With “Bass Persuades,” Miley isn't politely asking listeners onto the dance floor. She’s turning up the bass until staying seated starts to feel ridiculous.
And frankly, maybe the kids do still want to dance. They just needed a little persuasion.
Bass Persuades arrives September 18, 2026 over on Amazon (CD or Digital) and iTunes.
