Miley Cyrus dropped a new single, "More To Lose," a heartfelt track that serves as a sneak peek into the album, Something Beautiful, and is set for release on May 30 through Columbia Records. The deeply emotional ballad comes after a string of singles —"Prelude," "End Of The World," and the title track of the album—but it stands out for its nakedly vulnerable, personal storytelling from that place. Unlike her previous tracks, wherein a surface-level treatment usually sufficed, this one processes things deeper and provides a strange ambiance, discoloring the air with some emotional turmoil. Black-and-white gorgeous beauty defines the official video co-directed by Cyrus herself alongside Jacob Bixenman and Brendan Walter. All three collaborated to create a striking vision of a cinematic world stemming from that album to complete the full experience for fans.
An Intimate Glimpse Into Heartbreak and Memory
Whereas more polished pop marches are about success and glory, “More To Lose” tilts the artist's heart toward feelings. The lyrics build upon the themes of loss, reflection, and silent goodbyes. Miley Cyrus laments, “I stay when the ecstasy is far away... I just thought we had more to lose” in front of a set of bare vocals that reveal her inner torment. The opponent level creates visual imagery and, in the verses, compares tears with a favorite TV show and fading memories with old denim. There is a universal meaning captured by these metaphors, resonating with quiet tormenting traces of love gone wrong. Yet the production never tries to distract from her voice, which must tell the story. A deliberate artistic move was made to consider the emotionality of the track and, hence, increase the intimacy of its sound.
A Song Meant to Be Felt, Not Perfected
Primarily, Cyrus values emotional truth over technical precision. She revealed that she intended to perform the recording of "More To Lose" mainly in one take, adding only soft harmonies and ad-libs afterward. In her opinion, the song meant less about perfection and more about holding onto the emotional truth of the story. The choice, without question, resonates with old fans who have been following her artistic journey. More recently, during one of her live performances of the song, she spoke about all sorts of familiar faces coming into the room, from old friends to a handful of exes, all the while sharing that regardless of whether these people exist in the past or present, she always has dangerously "heart-first attachments" to the piece. It was crafted with a theatrical intention similar to The Wall but "with better wardrobe and more glamour."
