Miley Details Last Dolly Call, Max Martin Album Revamp — SkimNews
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- Miley Cyrus (now professionally known as just "Miley") told Zane Lowe on Apple Music that her last conversation with godmother Dolly Parton was about her new album "Bass Persuades" — the vinyl she always sends Parton first.
- Cyrus recounted Parton's reaction to her crying during performances, with Parton advising her: "Music is escapism. Let them cry. You need to get through it" — a professional pushback Cyrus embraced despite their different approaches.
- Cyrus said Parton understood her emotional public persona because Cyrus's "stabilizing peers" from older generations "laid down, brick by brick, the road that I travel now" and won't always be available to call for guidance.
- Cyrus revealed that producer Max Martin called her song "Aftermath" — originally written as a sad Thom Yorke-style ballad with a lyric about "the Titan sinks" referring to a submarine — "so boring" and reworked it into a propulsive, upbeat track.
- Cyrus's new album "Bass Persuades" was set for release at midnight Thursday night, marking her first major release under her shortened professional name.
- Cyrus drew a direct line between Parton's authenticity and her own struggle with the Hannah Montana persona, telling Lowe she sometimes calls her performances "drag" because the stage version of herself differs from "the person that feeds the tortoise every morning."
Why it matters: The interview reframes "Bass Persuades" as a project forged in transition — Cyrus processing the loss of Parton's "always right" counsel while ceding creative control to Max Martin, whose verdict on "Aftermath" converted a submarine-themed ballad into the album's propulsive centerpiece. The shift signals Cyrus leaning into mainstream pop production rather than the introspective Yorke-esque territory she initially favored.
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