Musical Digest: Miley Cyrus "Midnight Sky"

Miley Cyrus is something of an anomaly...in that she never ceases to amaze me with her incredible vocals and her constant allure. I thrive off of her "dare to be deviant" attitude because we're similar in that regard.

Cyrus is a multi-faceted artist. She can deliver country, pop, dabble in hip hop, and electronic music. She writes, she acts, she is an activist, a feminist and by and large a strong role model for young women everywhere.

This time, she is dabbling her talents in directing.

I love music videos with my entire being. Other than watching interviews on my down time, I love the visual, artistic rendition of a song because I like to compare the artist's vision to my own reel in my head.

Self-directing a music video is a lot more personable and raw though because this is strictly curated by the singer and songwriter without the bias and creative direction of any executives. This is creativity, emotion and passion at its finest.

In collaboration with producers watt and Louis Bell, "Midnight Sky" is set to be the first single off of Cyrus' new record, She Is Miley Cyrus. Naturally, not only am I going to digest the visionary behind this piece, but also its content.

As I uncover the shimmering curtains with my leather Chanel gloves and step into this underground discotheque...

I see Miley in a leather Chanel bodysuit dancing in front of a maze of mirrors eclipsed by a backdrop of neon lights...a subtle nod to the late 80s aesthetic. Next, as if in a drunken whirlwind, we're transported to a colorful room full of beaming lights, confetti and brightly lit fake animals.

Walking further we notice Miley on a bed full of colorful candy retrieving back to her "girl-next-door" mystique.

The beauty is in the details: the zoom on her crimson lips, the zoom on her stilettos, the ripped panty hose, the edgy Joan Jett blonde hair...

Let's dive in to the hook that has become my official anthem:

I was born to run, I don't belong to anyone, oh no

I don't need to be loved by you (By you)

Fire in my lungs, can't bite the devil on my tongue, oh no

I don't need to be loved by you

See my lips on her mouth, everybody's talkin' now, baby

Ooh, you know it's true (Yeah, yeah)

That I was born to run, I don't belong to anyone, oh no

I don't need to be loved by you (Loved by you)

I love this because it clearly pays homage to her pansexuality, her breaking free of a relationship that may have tamed her intricate nature and now she's ready to embrace the world, fully aware that she doesn't need another person's love to feel validated. The analogy of the fire in her lungs fueling her tenacity while "the devil on her tongue" is presumingly her vulgar, unapologetic rhetoric that she uses to highlight while she may be the girl next door, she's got an edge to herself.

Perfect parallel to verse two where:

She got her hair pulled back 'cause the sweat's drippin' off of her face (Her face)

Said, "It ain't so bad if I wanna make a couple mistakes"

You should know right now that I never stay put in one place

Forever and ever, no more (No more)

There's a lot of sexual tension here...the haired pulled back, the sweat dripping off of her face. It's an erotic nod to something inherently rational. It's meant to say that amidst the drench of sweat disguised as hard work, the unavoidable testing of the waters and the constant reminder that she cannot be tamed...

leads to the pre-chorus:

The midnight sky is the road I'm takin'

Head high up in the clouds (Oh, oh)

The midnight sky is usually dark and mysterious, but captivating at the same time. I interpret the pre-chorus as a vow to let go of one's inhibitions and let the course of time take the reign. In that we're meant to follow a path that is unplanned, unbothered and undiscovered, but that's what makes it so exciting.

So what are you waiting for? Get lost in the strobe lights, dance underneath the moonlit sky, lose yourself in the wine buzz on that sunny rooftop and tune into the track below.