Miley Cyrus announces new album "Bass Persuades" and return to the big stage at the Hollywood Bowl
Miley Cyrus will open a new chapter in her career with her tenth studio album, "Bass Persuades", which will be released on September 18, 2026, and just a few weeks later she will present it over two nights at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. According to the Hollywood Bowl's official schedule and the singer's announcement, the concerts are scheduled for October 16 and 18, starting at 7:30 p.m. local time. It will be her first performance on that historic stage, although, as she herself pointed out, she had attended the venue for years as a visitor and watched other performers. The announcement is therefore important on two levels: it continues her accelerated recording period following the 2025 album "Something Beautiful", while also marking a rare return to major solo concerts after years in which she deliberately limited touring. In its official announcement, the Hollywood Bowl confirms that Model/Actriz will perform alongside Miley on both nights.
"Bass Persuades" arrives on September 18 via Atlantic Records, and Warner Music lists the album in its official sales channels as the tenth studio title of her career. The track list currently includes ten songs: the title track "Bass Persuades", "Different Religion" with Model/Actriz, "Let's Get Married", "Orbit", "Aftermath", "REDLIGHTS", "Neon Signs" with Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow, "Innocent Ways", "Snow" and "Bass Persuades Remixx". Even before its release, the new project therefore reveals several links to the announced concerts: Model/Actriz are not only guests on the album but also the opening act at the Hollywood performances, while Wyatt has long been a familiar name in pop production and songwriting collaborations. Spotify and Warner Music confirm the September 18 release date, while the project is listed on streaming services under the name Miley Cyrus, although some of the promotional material presents the new era under the shortened name "Miley".
An album conceived from the beginning as a cohesive whole
Cyrus gave the first more concrete indications of the new project during the summer, when she described the album in an interview with Wonderland as a love story that is not one-dimensional. In the interview conducted by actress and director Daryl Hannah, she said that a romantic thread runs through the songs, but also a relationship with herself and a sense of stability that had developed across several of her most recent releases. The singer emphasized that a "calm kind of love" had become a recurring theme in her more recent work, not only in relationships with others but also in the way she experiences herself. Wonderland also states that she entered the creative process with an unusually clear picture of the finished album: she knew in advance that she wanted ten songs, a specific visual identity and a sound that would connect the entire project. Such an approach suggests that "Bass Persuades" was not conceived as a collection of separate singles, but as a compact whole with precisely structured dramatic progression.
In the post in which she officially introduced the album on September 1, Cyrus connected the meaning of the title with the way music affects the listener physically and emotionally. She said that music can be powerful and vulnerable, sweet and firm, and that it encompasses both fulfillment and heartbreak, as well as the range of experiences between those extremes. That wording aligns with the themes she discussed in Wonderland, where she described the new material as a story about love, change and her relationship with her own identity. Pitchfork reports that "Bass Persuades" will be released by Atlantic Records just over a year after "Something Beautiful", as Cyrus continues an unusually productive period. The same source states that in the meantime she expanded the previous album with additional collaborations, recorded new music for film projects and continued developing the visual component of her work.
The Hollywood Bowl as a symbol of a return before a large audience
Alongside the album, the confirmation of two nights at the Hollywood Bowl, one of the most recognizable open-air concert venues in the United States, attracted the most attention. LA Phil, which operates the venue, states that the amphitheater was built in 1922 and accommodates around 17,500 visitors. For Cyrus, the performances on October 16 and 18 will mark her personal debut on that stage. In a message accompanying the announcement, she said that the Hollywood Bowl is her favorite place to experience music and watch artists she loves, and that she had sat in the audience many times but had never stood on the stage. She added that Los Angeles is "her heart" and that she is now bringing the music home, giving the concerts additional autobiographical significance.
The official Hollywood Bowl website confirms that the first concert will take place on Friday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m., while Ticketmaster lists the second night as Sunday, October 18 at the same time. According to Ticketmaster and the concert portal JamBase, ticket presales begin on September 8, while the general sale begins on September 10 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. The program is advertised under the title "Miley: Bass Persuades – Live at the Hollywood Bowl", with Model/Actriz listed as special guests. For international audiences, it is important that these are currently two specifically announced nights in Los Angeles, not confirmation of a broader world or North American tour. As of September 2, no schedule for additional cities had been announced, so the Hollywood Bowl announcement should not be interpreted as automatic confirmation of a traditional tour.
Why the return to major concerts is especially significant
In recent years, Cyrus has made no secret of the fact that her attitude toward major tours is considerably different from what it was during earlier phases of her career. In a 2025 conversation with Zane Lowe for Apple Music, she spoke about Reinke's edema and a large polyp on her vocal cord, a condition that contributes to the distinctive tone of her voice but at the same time makes lengthy and frequent performances more difficult for her. As she explained at the time, she compared the physical effort of singing under such conditions to running a marathon with an additional burden. She also said that she does not want to have the polyp surgically removed because of the risk that the procedure could alter the recognizable tone of her voice. Good Morning America reported her assessment that future concert plans would have to be organized in a way that is sustainable for her.
For that reason, the two nights at the Hollywood Bowl carry greater significance than ordinary promotional concerts accompanying an album release. They show that Cyrus has not given up performing before large audiences, but at the same time they do not change her earlier statements that she does not want to automatically accept the pace of long and physically exhausting tours. In July 2025, she also spoke about the need to preserve physical and emotional stability throughout her professional life, which she connected with her decisions to limit touring. That is precisely why the format of two large, pre-selected nights in one city is consistent with a performance model that allows a greater degree of control than a months-long itinerary. Whether the Los Angeles concerts will remain a standalone event or become an introduction to additional performances has not yet been officially confirmed.
"Bass Persuades" follows an award-winning period in her career
The new album arrives after several years in which Cyrus once again strengthened her position among the world's most successful pop performers. The Recording Academy confirms that in 2024 she won the first two Grammys of her career thanks to the song "Flowers", which won in the Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance categories. A year later, she also won a Grammy for the collaboration "II Most Wanted" with Beyoncé, while "Something Beautiful" was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2026 ceremony. These results provide additional context for the new project: "Bass Persuades" does not arrive as an attempted comeback after a prolonged recording silence, but at a time when Cyrus is once again in a period of intense creative and institutional visibility.
"Something Beautiful", released in 2025, was her ninth studio album and preceded her current transition into a new record-label phase. Pitchfork and other music media report that "Bass Persuades" will be released by Atlantic Records, while Warner Music distributes it through its network. The promotional campaign additionally emphasizes the project's visual identity: the cover and materials accompanying the announcement rely on photographs by Mert Alas, while Wonderland published an extensive fashion and editorial project with Cyrus as guest editor of the issue during the summer. That interview had already made it clear that the singer views the new album as a combination of music, imagery and personal narrative, rather than merely a standard singles cycle. The Hollywood Bowl announcement brings that concept to the performance level as well.
Ten songs and two confirmed collaborations
The official track list currently shows that "Bass Persuades" is more concise than some of her previous releases. Warner Music lists ten songs, two of which explicitly name guest artists. "Different Religion" features Model/Actriz, a Brooklyn band that AllMusic describes as a noise-rock group with strongly rhythmic and post-punk elements, while "Neon Signs" features Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow. AllMusic describes Wyatt as a Grammy-winning songwriter and producer with a long list of collaborations in international pop, so his participation further opens the possibility that the album will continue Cyrus's tendency to cross the boundaries between pop, rock and more alternative textures. At the same time, the song titles themselves, from "Let's Get Married" to "Aftermath" and "Snow", support the idea of the emotional arc she discussed before the official announcement.
It is important, however, to distinguish confirmed information from assumptions about the album's sound. As of September 2, the entire album had not been made publicly available, and the promotional materials provided only limited insight into the final arrangements. It therefore cannot be reliably stated in what proportions "Bass Persuades" will contain pop, rock, electronic or other elements, although the title, announced collaborators and short teasers point to a pronounced rhythmic and alternative component. In earlier stages of her career, Cyrus often moved between genres, from country and pop to glam rock, synth-pop and psychedelic influences, so strictly labeling the album by genre before its release would be premature. What is clearer is that the artist herself conceived the project as an emotionally connected whole with ten songs determined in advance.
Los Angeles gets two rare solo performances
For audiences, the October concerts are particularly interesting because Cyrus has not held traditional large-scale solo tours in recent years at the pace that was common earlier in her career. She has given individual performances, television appearances and special events, but she herself has repeatedly emphasized that the continuity of touring presents a physical and psychological challenge for her. The two nights in a venue with a capacity of around 17,500 can therefore be viewed as a carefully controlled concert return, rather than necessarily as an announcement of a return to her old way of working. Rolling Stone describes them as her first full concerts in the United States since 2021, with the important note that Cyrus has performed in special and promotional formats in the meantime.
The Hollywood Bowl was not chosen by chance. Located in the Hollywood Hills, the amphitheater has been one of Los Angeles's key summer concert venues for more than a century, and its stage has been shared by performers from different generations and genres. For Cyrus, who grew up within the American entertainment industry and has tied much of her professional life to Los Angeles, a first solo performance on that stage carries symbolism that she herself emphasized in the announcement. The two nights come less than a month after the album's release, which will allow audiences to become familiar with the new material before the concerts, while also leaving enough room for the program to include songs from earlier phases of her career. An official detailed set list, production concept and any additional guests have not yet been announced.
A new chapter without the promise of a traditional tour
The announcement of "Bass Persuades" and the Hollywood Bowl thus combines two strands that have marked Miley Cyrus's career in recent years: major recording ambition and caution toward an exhausting concert model. The album will be released on September 18, just a few weeks after she officially announced it, and the two concert nights follow on October 16 and 18. Available official information confirms the album, dates, location, the appearance of Model/Actriz and the beginning of ticket sales, but does not currently confirm an additional tour. That is precisely why the Los Angeles events take on the status of special performances tied to the new era, rather than simply two more stops on an already announced series of concerts.
For Cyrus, it is also an opportunity to present the new material for the first time in a large venue that, according to her own words, she has experienced from the audience's perspective for years. After a period in which she spoke openly about the health demands of singing and the need for concert life to be sustainable, the Hollywood Bowl offers the format of a major event without the obligation of months-long travel. Whether "Bass Persuades" will later receive a broader concert story will depend on decisions the artist and her team have yet to announce. For now, what is certain is that September will bring her tenth studio album, while October will bring two nights that could become one of the most important points in her return to major stages.
Sources:
- Hollywood Bowl – official event page for "Miley: Bass Persuades", date, time, location and special guest Model/Actriz (link)
- Warner Music Canada – official album sales page with release date and list of ten songs (link)
- Spotify – official album pre-release page with release date and confirmed track list (link)
- Wonderland Magazine – interview with Miley Cyrus about the theme of love, the creative process and the concept of the new album (link)
- Pitchfork – album announcement, label context and confirmation of the Hollywood Bowl concerts (link)
- Good Morning America – information about Reinke's edema, the vocal-cord polyp and the impact of the health condition on performances and touring (link)
- Recording Academy / Grammy – official information on Miley Cyrus's awards and nominations (link)
- LA Phil – official information on the Hollywood Bowl, the year it was built and the venue's capacity (link)
- Ticketmaster – dates, times and ticket-sale information for the Hollywood Bowl concerts (link)
- Rolling Stone Australia – context on the rare concert return and the fact that these are her first full concerts in the United States since 2021 (link)
- JamBase – confirmation of the concerts, statement about the significance of the Hollywood Bowl and ticket-sale schedule (link)
- AllMusic – biographical and genre context for Model/Actriz and Andrew Wyatt (link)
- AllMusic – professional context for Andrew Wyatt as a songwriter, producer and member of Miike Snow (link)