Miley Cyrus’s 10th Album: Everything We Know So Far

Miley Cyrus’s next music era is beginning. Over a year after the singer released Something Beautiful, Cyrus is teasing a new project. On Monday, August 31, she posted a photo of herself in an animal-free fur coat from Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello. She captioned it “Miley.” She also changed her name and Instagram handle to just Miley, subtly declaring she’s mononymous now.

In July, Cyrus spoke to Wonderland magazine about the new music she’s making. Here’s all we know so far about her 10th album.

Has Cyrus officially announced a 10th album?

Technically not yet, but at the end of August, she seemed to begin teasing it on Instagram. She also spoke about her work on a new album in July.

What has Cyrus said about the music she’s making for her 10th album?

In July, Cyrus confirmed the album will have love songs but that they will be multifaceted. She also discussed pulling inspiration from her personal life—likely her years-long love story with her fiancé, Maxx Morando.

She explained to Daryl Hannah for Wonderland, “This album is a love story, but love stories are never one-dimensional. They’re always layered. There is definitely a romantic thread weaving through it because, like all my records, it’s a reflection of where I am in my life. But this one feels especially meaningful because this feeling has stayed with me through multiple eras. That’s something I hadn’t really experienced before. A peaceful kind of love has become a theme across my last three records. Not just the love I share with someone else, but the love I’ve found from myself. That’s probably been the biggest evolution. Once your relationship with yourself changes, every relationship around you changes too. I think this record celebrates both of those equally.”

When asked how she views love, she responded that it “is dynamic and complex. It’s something we can feel deeply with our hearts even if we can’t always explain it with our minds. To me, love isn’t something we have to intellectualize. It’s a cellular understanding.”

How many songs will the album have?

Cyrus told Wonderland that she went in having 10 songs in mind.

She also revealed the project progressed naturally: “Usually I’m very certain of the destination [when writing songs for albums], and sometimes that can almost obliterate the journey because I’m so focused on getting somewhere,” she said. “This one was different. It was organic and really unforced. Something that was super helpful this time was I started with the tracklist and never veered from it. I knew it would be 10 songs. I roughly knew the sound and the concept. That gave me a really strong compass without making the process feel forced.”

Why is the color scheme for the project red?

Cyrus knew that red would be the album’s color from the start. When speaking about working with collaborators on the project, she told Wonderland that she had a set vision for some parts of the aesthetic.

“Even before I made the record, I already knew certain things,” she said. “I knew the color would be red. I knew I’d be in a leather hat. I knew the frame of the imagery. Collaboration is a dance. You have to know when to lead and when to follow. I love bringing in people I trust because they’ll take an idea I have and make it possible. Everyone brings their own perspective, and that’s what makes the work richer and dynamic.”

Will there be any tributes to Cyrus’s late godmother, Dolly Parton, on the project?

It’s unclear now, though it seems like Cyrus had begun teasing the album before Parton passed away on August 25, as fans posted billboards featuring the first red teaser image on August 24.

Cyrus wrote in her tribute to Parton that she would take her godmother’s advice and use her feelings to create music. “The feeling of losing my Aunt Dolly is beyond what feels right to share,” she wrote. “Our most sacred moments were private and they’ll stay there behind the stage, beneath the glamour & between our hearts. What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis. ????”