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Easy Lover (Miley Cyrus song)

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"Easy Lover"
Song by Miley Cyrus
from the album Something Beautiful
ReleasedMay 30, 2025 (2025-05-30)
StudioThe Village Recorder (Los Angeles, CA)[1]
Genre
Length3:06
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Music video
"Easy Lover" on YouTube

"Easy Lover" is a song by the American singer Miley Cyrus from her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful (2025). Intended to be included on her own Plastic Hearts (2020) and Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter (2024), Cyrus kept the idea of "Easy Lover" for years and reimagined it for Something Beautiful. She was accompanied by the American musician Brittany Howard during the final conception of the song, and references her in the lyrics. "Easy Lover" is a pop, pop rock, and soft rock track with an up-tempo beat and lyrics about the emotions present in the end of a romantic relationship.

Cyrus wrote "Easy Lover" with Michael Pollack, Ryan Tedder, and Omer Fedi, and produced it with Pollack, Shawn Everett, and Jonathan Rado. It became available as the sixth track from Something Beautiful on May 30, 2025, when it was released by Columbia Records. Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, and Brendan Walter directed the music video for "Easy Lover", which premiered in parallel to the song; the video follows the singer in a showgirl style, singing in a stage of a film studio. Cyrus has performed the song live at private events in the United States. Commercially, it has reached the top 60 in the national charts of Canada and Ireland.

Development

[edit]
Beyoncé in a red outfit holding a microphone
Brittany Howard playing guitar and singing into a microphone
"Easy Lover" had an ad lib reference to the intended collaborator, Beyoncé (left), before it was redefined for Brittany Howard (right)

Miley Cyrus originally wrote "Easy Lover" to include it on her rock-influenced album, Plastic Hearts (2020); as the song did not reach the sound she wanted, it was scrapped from the record.[2] Years later, Cyrus was asked by the American singer and songwriter Beyoncé to collaborate on her country album Cowboy Carter (2024). She accepted and sent the demos of "Easy Lover" and "II Most Wanted"—originally titled "Shotgun Rider"—to Beyoncé. Cyrus added an ad lib saying "Tell 'em B" to the former song, in reference to Beyoncé, and believed that the chorus could be adapted to a country sound. "II Most Wanted" was ultimately chosen for Cowboy Carter.[2][3]

Prior to the release of her ninth studio album, Something Beautiful (2025), Cyrus reimagined "Easy Lover" to include it on the release. During its conception, she was accompanied by the American musician Brittany Howard, who played electric guitar, and kept the aforementioned ad lib to reference Howard.[2][3]

Release and promotion

[edit]

Cyrus announced the visual album Something Beautiful in March 2025, followed by the release of music videos as part of its promotion.[4] On May 19, she revealed its track listing and shared a 23-second snippet of the sixth song, titled "Easy Lover".[5][6] The song was previewed in other occasions, including as the background for the trailer of the accompanying music film for the album, also titled Something Beautiful (2025).[7] Shortly before the album's release, Cyrus sang "Easy Lover" live during private events, including in a TikTok-hosted special set at the Chateau Marmont hotel and a fan celebration at the 3 Dollar Bill bar.[8][9][10] Something Beautiful, including "Easy Lover", was released on May 30, 2025.[11] A music video for "Easy Lover" premiered on the same date.[3][12] Directed by Cyrus, Jacob Bixenman, and Brendan Walter, it stars the singer in a showgirl style, preparing her outfit, hair, and make-up in a dressing room, and later performing the track in a stage of a film studio.[13]

Composition

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Music critics categorized "Easy Lover" as a pop,[14] pop rock,[15] and soft rock song,[16] with elements of blues,[17] and country.[18] It is built over an up-tempo beat, described by Billboard's Hannah Dailey as "groovy",[7] and predominantly features bass and guitars.[19] Several reviewers perceived similarities between the styles of "Easy Lover" and Cyrus's country-styled album Younger Now (2017).[18][20] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone wrote that the song has a close to the "laid-back vibe" of the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac.[21] Other critics compared it to disco artists: Roisin O'Connor of The Independent found it reminiscent of the sound from the Swedish group ABBA,[22] and Ed Power from The Irish Times compared it to the "disco-apocalypse energy" of the Jamaican singer Grace Jones.[23]

As the album's sixth track, "Easy Lover" is separated by an interlude to "More to Lose", in which Cyrus shares her sadness and frustration throughout the end of a romantic relationship.[14] On "Easy Lover", she is more driven by her anger and acceptance.[14] Billboard's Lyndsey Havens wrote that the song's title has a double entendre; the critic believed that Cyrus is describing the partner as being difficult to love, and yet she does it easily.[14]

Reception

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Havens named "Easy Lover" the third best song from Something Beautiful.[14] It was named by Rolling Stone one of the best songs from its release week.[24] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised the song's chorus and said that it "begs [the listener] to sing along".[17] O'Connor lauded the instrumental participation of Pino Palladino in bass and Sara Watkins in fiddle.[22] In a negative album review, Madison Bloom of Pitchfork dubbed it "another Bruno Mars castoff" and described it as "referential, uninspired, and really just a rearrangement of pieces that don't quite fit in their new configuration".[25]

Commercially, "Easy Lover" has reached the main charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom, peaking at numbers 57 and 64, respectively.[26][27] It also appeared on the New Zealand Hot Singles secondary chart at number 5.[28]

Personnel

[edit]

The personnel is adapted from the liner notes of Something Beautiful.[1]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Easy Lover"
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[29] 60
Estonia Airplay (TopHit)[30] 52
Global 200 (Billboard)[31] 79
Greece International (IFPI)[32] 65
Israel International Airplay (Media Forest)[33] 10
Ireland (IRMA)[26] 57
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[34] 12
Lithuania Airplay (TopHit)[35] 67
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[28] 5
Portugal (AFP)[36]
[37] 		158
UK Singles (OCC)[27] 64
US Billboard Hot 100[38] 82

References

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  1. ^ a b Miley Cyrus (2025). Something Beautiful (booklet). Columbia Records.
  2. ^ a b c Abraham, Mya (May 22, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Says New Single "Easy Lover" Was Intended For Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter'". Vibe. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Ukiomogbe, Juliana (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus's 'Easy Lover' Lyrics Include a Subtle Ode to Her Shotgun Rider, Beyoncé". Elle. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  4. ^ Nied, Michael (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Unleashes Her New Album Something Beautiful and Celebrates with 'Easy Lover' Music Video: Watch". People. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  5. ^ Mier, Tomás (May 19, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Unveils 'Something Beautiful' Track List, Featuring Brittany Howard, Naomi Campbell". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  6. ^ Garcia, Thania (May 19, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Reveals 'Something Beautiful' Track List, Featuring Naomi Campbell and Brittany Howard". Variety. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Dailey, Hannah (May 22, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Is 'Fueled by Fantasy' in 'Something Beautiful' Film Trailer Featuring an Unreleased Song". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  8. ^ Havens, Lyndsey (May 28, 2025). "Inside Miley Cyrus' Private Performance at Chateau Marmont". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  9. ^ Irvin, Jack (May 28, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Teases New Album Something Beautiful as the 'Appetizer' for an 'Experimental' Upcoming Project". People. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  10. ^ Burton, Poppy (June 1, 2025). "Watch Miley Cyrus surprise fans with a performance of 'Easy Lover' in New York nightclub". NME. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  11. ^ Inman, Jessica (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus releases new album, 'Easy Lover' music video". UPI. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  12. ^ "Miley Cyrus Drops Music Video For "Easy Lover"". iHeart. May 30, 2025. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  13. ^ Zemler, Emily (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Evokes Her Inner Showgirl in 'Easy Lover' Music Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c d e Havens, Lyndsey (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus' 'Something Beautiful' Album: All 13 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  15. ^ Daw, Stephen (May 30, 2025). "Queer Jams of the Week: New Music From Miley Cyrus, Girl in Red, Wet Leg & More". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  16. ^ Petridis, Alexis (May 29, 2025). "Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful review – solid pop that's about as 'psychedelic' as a baked potato". The Guardian. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  17. ^ a b Cinquemani, Sal (May 27, 2025). "Miley Cyrus 'Something Beautiful' Review: A Rapturous Prog-Pop Fantasia". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  18. ^ a b Mitchell, Matt (June 2, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Is at Her Best on Something Beautiful". Paste. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  19. ^ Graves, Wren (May 31, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Chose to Leave Her Voice Damaged. Something Beautiful Helps Explain Why". Consequence. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  20. ^ Levine, Nick (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus – 'Something Beautiful' review: the post-genre popstar pulls off another big swing". NME. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  21. ^ Sheffield, Rob (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus Aims High With Her Latest Artistic Swerve". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  22. ^ a b O'Connor, Roisin (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus's Something Beautiful isn't as weird as she said it would be". The Independent. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  23. ^ Power, Ed (May 30, 2025). "Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful review – Like Bangerz without the bangers, or Flowers without the bloom". The Irish Times. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  24. ^ "Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Haim, and All the Songs You Need to Know This Week". Rolling Stone. May 30, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
  25. ^ Bloom, Madison (June 4, 2025). "Miley Cyrus: Something Beautiful Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  26. ^ a b "IRMA – Irish Charts (Week 23, 2025)". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  27. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Official Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. June 6, 2025. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
  29. ^ "Miley Cyrus Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  30. ^ Top Radio Hits Estonia Weekly Chart. TopHit. June 13, 2025. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  31. ^ "Miley Cyrus Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  32. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 23/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on June 11, 2025. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
  33. ^ "מדיה פורסט – המצעד הבינלאומי השבועי – Week 25 – 15/06 – 21/06/2025" [Media Forest – International Weekly Chart – Week 25 – 15/06 – 21/06/2025] (Select the year 2025 and the option "25 15-06-25 21-06-25" from the stretched lists, then click "שירים מובילים - רדיו - בינלאומי" to see the chart.) (in Hebrew). Media Forest. June 22, 2025. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  34. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of June 11, 2025". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  35. ^ "Top Radio Hits Lithuania Weekly Chart: Jun 19, 2025". TopHit. June 20, 2025. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  36. ^ "Miley Cyrus – Easy Lover". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  37. ^ "Top 200 Singles Semana 23 de 2025" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 9. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  38. ^ "Miley Cyrus Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
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