Miley Cyrus is gearing up to release her anticipated visual album, Something Beautiful, on May 30. In preparation, she sat down and spoke with Apple Music's Zane Lowe about how such an ambitious project all came together.
One unexpected bit of advice she received was from Indiana Jones and Han Solo himself, Harrison Ford.
While attending the Disney Legends Awards last August, Cyrus and Ford struck up a conversation in which she detailed the original concept for Something Beautiful.
"I’ve known Harrison Ford for quite a while just growing up in Disney and been in the same circles," she told Lowe (via Stereogum). "And he goes, “So what are you up to? Are you in the studio making an album or what are you doing?” I said, “Well, I have an idea.” I said, “Actually, I made something. I have a PDF on my phone I could show you.”
Cyrus showed her ideas to Ford, who currently stars on the AppleTV+ series Shrinking, and explained she would be performing in a series of locations, such as forests and pyramids.
"He goes, 'You really want to go and set up in a forest and do what?' He’s like, 'You going to bring a crew? You got to…' He’s like, 'Looks expensive," she continued. "And I came back to the trailer, I was like, 'Guys, we’re not performing in the forest anymore. Harrison Ford made a lot of sense.'”
Ford's comments led to Cyrus choosing to make a film instead of touring, something she previously admitted she was in rush to do again. (She hasn't embarked on a proper tour since 2014's Bangerz.)
"That’s why I want to create this film, is the film is my way of touring," she said. "That’s why I’m putting it into theatres because it’s something you can watch night after night after night and you get to discover and you get to feel like you’re a part of a performance but I don’t have to tax myself in that way."
In the interview, Cyrus also talks about the physical toll touring takes on an artist, as well as the pressures that come from being sober. Watch it below.