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Meet the New and Improved Miley Cyrus on Her New Song ‘Malibu’

Well, it’s certainly not hip-hop. After cribbing rap and psychedelic rock for her last two albums, Miley Cyrus has returned with a newfound perspective (credited to a break from weed) and a brand-new sound. Her new single “Malibu” isn’t Miley just being Miley — at least not the Miley we’ve known since she was a preteen — it’s the woman behind the moniker. Cyrus has said her new album will take her in a new direction, toward something more tasteful and refined than, say, the rap she used to love. “Malibu” achieves the complete 180 she’s been teasing: It’s an introspective love song, written for her fiancé Liam Hemsworth (he even photographed her for the song’s cover art), whom she lives with in Malibu, that has Miley reflecting on her last few years attempting to mature in the spotlight. “I never would’ve believed you if three years ago you told me I’d be here writing this song, but here I am,” she sings. It even ends with a new beginning: “It’s a brand-new start, a dream come true in Malibu.” Watch her considerably toned-down (for Miley standards), beachside video for it above.

Hear Miley Cyrus’s New Song, ‘Malibu’