MC's Music Lounge: Miley Cyrus delivers glam and joy with new single "Bass Persuades"

Miley’s already had a major year with the 20^th anniversary of Hannah Montana, her own Barbie doll, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is her ascent into legend territory, and she’s marking the occasion with a new album, a new record deal, and a re-invented sound. The lead single “Bass Persuades” dropped last week, along with a high-fashion music video that has Miley doing some of the best dancing she’s done in years. The album of the same name is out on September 18^th and it looks like she’s more confident than ever.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned how fans online were debating on whether her new album would be delayed in the wake of Dolly’s passing. It seems she’s letting the music guide her and is pushing on with the release, it’s what Dolly would have wanted. Miley’s just “Miley” now and the new era will also be her return to the stage. She’ll be performing her first full-length live concerts in five years on October 16^th and 18^th at the Hollywood Bowl, especially significant given how adamant she was just last year when the topic of touring and live performance was brought up. Maybe this was her plan all along, to build the anticipation and turn it all into a spectacle, although I doubt it’ll result in a world tour, but even just a live stream or official release of these two shows would suffice - we’re thirsty over here. The new single debuted big on streaming but the numbers have slowed down a bit. It reached #10 on the daily US Spotify chart on its first day, but has since fallen off the chart. With her new record label and the planned promotional push, the hope is that the song bounces back into more neutral territory on the charts since it’s the type of track that requires live performance and some time to simmer. But regardless of how “Bass Persuades” charts, one thing’s for sure. Quality wise? Miley has delivered. She’s bringing glam and joy into her work in a new way.

Next week, keeping up with the momentum from Daisy Chain Fields, one of the OG Lilith Fair performers returns with new music: Paula Cole. This week, Miley is joined by ADÉLA, Beyoncé (with Selena!), Wiz Khalifa, and Shay Lia with KAYTRANADA. Plus, Karol G with another hit from her newest album No Me Arrepiento de Sentir Tanto.

Listen on…

MC’s PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Bass Persuades” by Miley Cyrus

Just because she’s back to making commercial pop doesn’t mean that she has abandoned her experimental nature. “Bass Persuades” is a dance-pop song that has Miley leaning into the popstar she has always been. There’s full choreography, she’s giving us Pat Benatar-level glam-rock in her look and the lyrics are assertive. She touches on the state of the party scene saying “Candy’s cut with fentanyl that nobody wants”, urging listeners to instead indulge in the intoxication of the music rather than drugs, which is a long way from “We Can’t Stop”. She also calls out all of the kids today who are “glued” to their phone screens, and how they “missed the hit without MTV”. Everyone is so tuned into their algorithms that there’s no “real” stars or hit songs anymore. There’s some truth to this. For Miley’s (and my) generation, MTV was how we knew what music even was and what the hits were. Most of the time we were introduced to a song through its video, giving us a much more interactive and intimate experience with the song. Without the presence of MTV or MuchMusic in Canada, we don’t have many (if any) songs that truly unite us as a community. The chorus speaks for itself – “the kids don’t want to dance”. Miley doesn’t care though, because whether they want to or not, someone is going to dance. She sure is – and I know I am. It’ll be exciting to see whether Miley does full choreography when she performs this at the Hollywood Bowl in October. It’s been so long since we’ve seen that side of Miley on stage – she’s generally full rock star these days. I love a dance music era for her. It’s perfect the addition to her already eclectic discography.

“Nicole Kidman” by ADÉLA

She pushes the boundaries in her visual work and it’s caught the attention of pop enthusiasts. ADÉLA is building her brand by making her own rules in music, and it’s working. Her new album PRIMA is now out and with it is the new single and video, “Nicole Kidman”. The video is filled with great references to Nicole’s filmography. Everything from Eyes Wide Shut, Babygirl, Birth, Moulin Rouge! and even the AMC ad gets a nod in the video. The song has quickly become a favourite off the album and has caught the attention of the subject – Nicole Kidman. Mind you, this was before the song was even released. Nicole said she was planning on going to see her show in Nashville. Safe to say that if your track gets Nicole Kidman’s attention before it’s even out, you’re doing something right. Turns out ADÉLA got Nicole’s permission to use her name before it was released, but also from the looks of that red carpet moment, it seems that Nicole herself enjoys bad bitch pop music just like the rest of us. This song has arrived at the perfect moment too. My feed is currently flooded with videos of Nicole Kidman looking like true mother in all her Practical Magic 2 promotional appearances. Specifically the goddess-like hair she rocked at the premiere. “Nicole Kidman” is the perfect soundtrack to any video edits of this icon and will likely remain so for many years to come. The lyrics have also started a fun trend on TikTok with fans thanking ADÉLA for new “nightly affirmations” but it’s just the lyrics “Every single night, I pray that my tits are sittin’ right”. Now, that’s a prayer.

“IREEMPLAZABLE (COMO LA FLOR)” by Beyoncé, Selena

The queen continues to find new ways to bless us with every release. The 20^th anniversary edition of her legendary album B’Day has arrived, and she’s given us some new gifts to celebrate. One of those gifts is the new duet with Selena. Back in 2007 when she first re-released B’Day, B recorded Spanish versions of her hits “Irreplaceable” and “Listen”. Now, two decades later, she has re-mixed the Spanish version with vocals from the one and only Selena. I never would’ve thought that “Como La Flor” would go so perfectly with “Irreplaceable” but I guess with a melody as timeless as the latter, it really can blend well with any song. Beyoncé’s entire music career is genre-less, with hits across every format you can think of, so it’s only natural that she have a song with the queen of Tejano music. I also am a sucker for when the powers of the one-name divas join forces. This album already has a song with Shakira, so Selena slots right in with ease. It was a wonderful way to spend my long weekend: listening to the whimsical sounds of two of the most important women of our time. B’s B’Day celebrations have made their fair share of headlines over the last week. Whether it be Jay-Z having the entire crowd at his London shows sing “Happy Birthday” to her, or the $948 empty beekeeping box she’s selling on her site as part of the anniversary collection merch. Hate her or love her, she has you talking and watching. She said it best in 2016, “you know you that b-tch when you cause all this conversation”. My conversation will remain on this posthumous collab with Selena, I’ll let the haters do the rest.

“Yiccen” by Wiz Khalifa

If you’re a part of the running community over on Instagram, you likely have seen one of the viral posts of Wiz on his running journey. The man is fast, and he is sharing his workout routine. And we’re all asking the question of whether he is still smoking so much given his recent health kick. He is, and he wants you to know it – iconic if you ask me. “Yiccen” is a classic Wiz banger that will fit well in any rap workout playlist. The beat goes crazy, it’s giving Three Six Mafia in the mid-2000s, the perfect music to break a sweat to and feel like the strongest version of yourself. The music video is playful, think wild day party you throw in a rented house. The clean-up would be pretty gnarly but it does make for a good old-fashioned house party video. I love the aesthetic and overall art direction in the clip. There’s some beauty to be found in messiness of it all. Mostly though, I’m just a fan of Wiz’s flow and his overall vibe. He’s going on two decades in the game, respect.

“SO GOOD” by Shay Lia, KAYTRANADA

This song brought me right back to turning 18-years-old living in Montreal and going clubbing for the first time. Shay and KAYTRANADA first collaborated during his Boiler Room set which generated a ton of noise online and in the dance communities. The bass is hard and the chimes make it feel magical. It’s the euphoric groove that KAYTRANADA is famous for, at its core. I love deep house tunes like this because they are just as effective when you listen to them on a sunny summer evening or during a rainy storm. “SO GOOD” really is so good – Shay has a soft tone to her voice that sounds light as a feather. Over the soothing house beat, it makes for the perfect end of summer jam to remind us all that the party isn’t over just yet. Lyrically it isn’t too deep depending how you look at it – it’s about letting the music take you away. “Let the feeling take control” is one lyric that stands out, allowing yourself to really let the music lead the way for how your body moves on the dance floor. If you look even deeper, there’s a metaphor for how to move within your own life as well. I always say that music is my anchor – there’s something in this song that speaks to me at this current stage of my life. The feeling taking me somewhere, taking the listener somewhere. It can only be where I am supposed to be if music leads the way.

MC’s VIRAL PICK

“BbY WOW” by KAROL G, Judeline, rusowsky

Karol G has another hit on her hands with “Bby WOW”. If you’ve listened to her latest album which just dropped in August, this track might have caught your attention. It features the Jamaican Riddim tune that was particularly popular in the mid-2000s. You know, the tune that is highlighted on songs by Nina Sky, Sean Paul, Pitbull and more. It’s actually a sample of a drum pattern titled “Coolie Dance Riddim” that was created by Jamaican producer Cordel Skatta Burrell in 2003. It was all over the radio in the mid-2000s and recently made a comeback when Kehlani used it in her 2024 track “After Hours”, and French DJ HUGEL used it in his 2025 hit “Jamaican (Bam Bam)”. Karol G is the latest artist to use the sample in this renewed era of the riddim. It’s got people all over the world dancing up a storm and is bringing some life back into mainstream radio which has been taken over by the likes of Ella Langley and Morgan Wallen over the last few months. This sound is exactly what 2026 radio stations need.

Karol G is also currently on tour where she is performing the track night after night. The videos of her performances hitting the internet have resulted in a dance trend using the song’s choreography and it has all of TikTok moving. The song has reached the top ten on the viral 50 charts and has jumped into the top 20 on Billboard Hot 100 making it the highest charting song from her new album so far. It seems like the kids so want to dance after all.