{"id":866357,"date":"2026-09-30T22:20:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T22:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/866357\/"},"modified":"2026-09-30T22:20:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T22:20:19","slug":"miley-cyrus-bass-persuades-how-big-a-deal-is-its-no-1-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/866357\/","title":{"rendered":"Miley Cyrus’ ‘Bass Persuades’: How Big a Deal Is Its No. 1 Debut?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEarlier this year, Miley Cyrus<\/a> joined Atlantic Records after spending most of the decade on Columbia. Now, just months later, she and her new label get to celebrate her first No. 1 album in 13 years. <\/p>\n

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See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n

\n\tCyrus\u2019 new album Bass Persuades bows atop the Billboard 200<\/a> this week (chart dated Oct. 3) with 62,000 first-week units, marking her first visit to the chart\u2019s penthouse since Bangerz debuted at No. 1 in October 2013. The set follows last year\u2019s visual album Something Beautiful, which bowed at No. 4, and it already has produced two Billboard Hot 100 hits, the title track (No. 35) and \u201cLet\u2019s Get Married\u201d (No. 99). <\/p>\n

\n\tHow should Cyrus feel about her new LP\u2019s opening performance? And where should she go from here to further fortify her legacy? Billboard staffers and contributors answer these questions and more below. <\/p>\n

\n\t1. Miley Cyrus scores her first No. 1 album since 2013 this week with the No. 1 debut of\u00a0Bass Persuades, which moves 62,000 units in its first week. On a scale from 1-10, how big a triumph is this for Cyrus and her team?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tChristopher Claxton: On a scale of 1-10, I\u2019d give this a 7. Going 13 years without a No. 1 album is a long time, especially for an artist of Miley\u2019s stature, and returning to the top of the chart is no easy feat regardless of the release week. At this point, I think it\u2019s safe to call Miley a generational pop star, so I don\u2019t think a No. 1 album is necessarily unexpected for her. That said, the fact that she was able to return to the top after such a long gap is significant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: Considering there were just 17 days between the announcement of Bass Persuades and its release, this has got to be at least a 7.5, despite the relatively low first-week total. <\/p>\n

\n\tLyndsey Havens: 10, this is a big deal for everyone involved. It\u2019s her first No. 1 album in more than a decade since she served a swerve with Bangerz, her first No. 1 as Miley (no Cyrus) and her first No. 1 at a new label. It\u2019s about as good as it could get in terms of a debut for an album that, by her own admission, came together faster than she usually works. <\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: A 7. It\u2019s definitely a big deal to get to started on the new label with a No. 1 \u2014\u00a0and a great headline for it to be her best since her biggest pop era \u2014 but it\u2019s all a tiny bit misleading, as the 62,000 first-week units of Persuades is still just a little more than half of the 119,000 units 2023\u2019s No. 3-debuting Endless Summer Vacation put up in a more crowded week on the Billboard 200. Still a big first week, but not quite a game-changer. <\/p>\n

\n\tAlicia Urrea: A 10. As someone who has been a Cyrus fan since her Disney days, it\u2019s refreshing to see her back at No. 1 after so much time. It\u2019s especially surprising that Endless Summer Vacation didn\u2019t reach the top spot, considering the massive success of \u201cFlowers.\u201d It has felt, at least from my perspective, like Cyrus has been hungry for recognition of a craft that continues to mature and evolve, so I imagine this achievement feels like a major milestone for her and her team.<\/p>\n

\n\t2. The year-and-change between May 2025\u2019s\u00a0Something Beautiful\u00a0and\u00a0Bass Persuades\u00a0this month make for the shortest turnover between Miley full-lengths since her Hannah Montana days. Do the first-week returns for\u00a0Bass Persuades\u00a0justify the quick return?<\/p>\n

\n\tChristopher Claxton: Oh yeah, most definitely. I think the quick turnaround ultimately worked in Miley\u2019s favor. Rather than allowing the momentum from\u00a0Something Beautiful\u00a0to cool off, she followed it with another full-length while there was still an active audience around her. And the chart performance seems to support that. This is Miley\u2019s first No. 1 album in 13 years, and the sales alone are a solid indication that there\u2019s still strong demand for her music even after the release of\u00a0Something Beautiful.<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: Not particularly? But Miley has never been an artist who pulls massive first-week numbers \u2014 and the truncated release timeline, coupled with the muted reception of the lead single, certainly didn\u2019t help \u2014 so it\u2019s hard to glean the full story from these figures. Regardless of the numbers, a quick return was justified by one reason: Something Beautiful was a blink-and-you\u2019ll-miss-it era. <\/p>\n

\n\tLyndsey Havens: Weirdly enough, I\u2019m not sure it\u2019s all that related. I think the only thing Something Beautiful did for Miley was show her that she\u2019s really into making more experimental music right now. We felt that even on Endless Summer Vacation with a song like \u201cHandstand,\u201d which she co-wrote and co-produced with her partner Maxx Morando. So sure, maybe the quick timing had something to do with Miley\u2019s major first week, but I think more than anything it\u2019s just a result of her day one fans supporting the creative journey she\u2019s on and glad she\u2019s still giving us anything at all. <\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: It certainly saves it from looking like a mistake, but I\u2019d still like to see a little more endurance from the album and this era before deeming it a total success. Personally I\u2019m a little bummed to see her turning the corner so quickly on Something Beautiful, which I thought was a much more satisfying project. But that album did underperform commercially, so maybe it was smart of her to reset quickly like this. <\/p>\n

\n\tAlicia Urrea: I think so. A No. 1 debut and 62,000 units in its first week show that Cyrus was able to generate enough excitement around Bass Persuades despite releasing another full-length only a little over a year earlier. It also sort of suggests that fans were ready for another body of work from her, and they weren\u2019t overwhelmed by the quick turnaround. The challenge now is making sure the album has enough time to establish its own identity instead of getting lost in that quick turnaround or blending with the Something Beautiful era.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t3. The title track and lead single is still the biggest Hot 100 hit from the set, landing at No. 52 this week after debuting at No. 35. Will it be end up being a long-lasting or notable hit from the project, or did it mostly just serve to reintroduce the full-length set?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tChristopher Claxton: In my view, \u201cBass Persuades\u201d is the best track on the album, so it makes sense that it\u2019s also the biggest Hot 100 hit from the set. It\u2019s a great track, and I can see it sticking around on the chart for a while. That said, I think we\u2019ll continue to see it gradually fall down the Hot 100 until it eventually drops off completely.<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: I\u2019d be quite surprised if \u201cBass Persuades\u201d made a real life for itself in the Hot 100\u2019s top 10 \u2014 and I really like the song! Nonetheless, it just doesn\u2019t feel like quintessential Miley song or an undeniable smash \u00e0 la \u201cFlowers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLyndsey Havens: I definitely think it will be a notable hit from the project \u2014 I can just see the future tweets now saying that it was \u201cslept on\u201d upon initial release. If anything, it was actually a bit of a misleading introduction to the album, given that it\u2019s arguably the most mainstream of the set. It\u2019s a super fun and catchy dance-pop song, yes, but even more important to note is that it\u2019s a song that sees Miley move more into this icon realm \u2014 no longer being the kid herself and rather speaking\u00a0about\u00a0them and how, much to her dismay, they don\u2019t wanna dance. Unacceptable, by her standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: It\u2019s a strong album opener, but it doesn\u2019t feel like a lasting hit to me \u2014\u00a0it feels out of step commercially and the hook isn\u2019t as much fun as the title suggests it should be. <\/p>\n

\n\tAlicia Urrea: In my opinion, \u201cBass Persuades\u201d might\u2019ve primarily served as an introduction to the album and this new era for Cyrus. It definitely made the right amount of noise, especially with the buzz surrounding her decision to drop her last name from the title. But I think the album arrived a little too soon after the single, which didn\u2019t give the song as much time to stand on its own. Instead, it feels more like an introduction to the era than a standalone hit that represents Cyrus\u2019 comeback as \u201cMiley.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t4. Outside of the title track, is there anything on\u00a0Bass Persuades\u00a0that you find a particularly interesting or new direction for Cyrus?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tChristopher Claxton: Outside of the title track, I think\u00a0Bass Persuades\u00a0is a really interesting album, because it feels like we\u2019re hearing a more experimental side of Miley\u2019s sound. To me, she doesn\u2019t seem too concerned with making a traditional pop album. Instead, she seems more interested in playing with different production styles, vocal approaches and textures.<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: I really like the industrial sounds she\u2019s flirting with on \u201cDifferent Religion.\u201d That song really makes me wish there was a more focused, fully realized vision guiding\u00a0Bass Persuades.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLyndsey Havens: I think I was most struck, upon first listen, but how\u00a0uninhibited\u00a0she continues to sound. Miley has never appeared to chase the obvious in her look or music, and certainly she hasn\u2019t tried to chase a follow-up to her mega-smash \u201cFlowers\u201d \u2014 and I think that\u2019s pretty remarkable. Even if it flopped,\u00a0Bass Persuades\u00a0is an intriguing addition to her catalog because she has never stopped trying to impress herself, really. That\u2019s what I feel like we\u2019re hearing here, is an artist who, 10 albums in, will still give us something unexpected.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: There\u2019s some really interesting textural stuff going on in \u201cAftermath\u201d and \u201cSnow,\u201d and fans will be chewing on the lyrics on \u201cInnocent Ways\u201d for a long time. But in general, this is perhaps the first Miley album since the Hannah Montana years that doesn\u2019t feel like a particularly bold step in any one direction. <\/p>\n

\n\tAlicia Urrea: I think \u201cDifferent Religion\u201d is particularly interesting because it doesn\u2019t sound like something Cyrus has released before. More broadly, the album makes it clear that she was willing to experiment with her sound. Even the title track feels very different from traditional pop production, leaning into something more playful and club-oriented. There\u2019s a sense that Cyrus was intentionally pushing herself sonically, and that experimentation is one of the most interesting parts of the album.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\t5. While Cyrus is unquestionably one of the most important pop stars of the last 20 years, her commercial returns have often been inconsistent and her overall place in the pop ecosystem somewhat murkier than it perhaps should be. If you were managing her, what would you advise her to do next in her career to give her that kind of long-term status and stability?\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tChristopher Claxton: I\u2019d say taking her social media a little more seriously. She posts frequently, for sure, but I don\u2019t think there\u2019s always something there for fans to really connect with. She doesn\u2019t have to share anything she\u2019s uncomfortable with or put her personal life on display, but I think there should be more moments, stories or pieces of her personality that fans can attach themselves to and feel connected to.<\/p>\n

\n\tKyle Denis: She\u2019s honestly doing everything right. Miley spent a lot of this year reconciling her relationship with Hannah Montana and receiving her flowers as a generational music, TV and cultural icon. That kind of praise trumps any conversation regarding\u00a0Bass Persuades\u00a0first-week numbers. Yes, they\u2019re low! And, yes, it\u2019s probably a long shot for any of these songs to go top 10 on the Hot 100. But that has absolutely no bearing on how Miley\u2019s celebrity is received. She\u2019s kind of like the Cher of her generation. Hit songs may come at seemingly random times\u00a0\u2014 and they\u2019re certainly nice to have \u2014 but they\u2019re not necessary to build the myth of Miley Cyrus. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLyndsey Havens: Her Hollywood Bowl shows are a step in the right direction. I think a pain point for fans \u2014 speaking for myself a bit here \u2014 is that there is so much appreciation for her and her place in pop that sometimes it almost feels like it\u2019s been bubbling up too long without a proper outlet for release. And I am sure these conversations happen quite regularly, but I\u2019d just suggest finding more ways \u2014 other than touring or even exhaustive and large-scale one-off performances \u2014 to get Miley in front of her fans. Let us take our fandom offline for a moment and give her those flowers IRL.<\/p>\n

\n\tAndrew Unterberger: Take some time for the next one and come back with more of a full-album statement like Something Beautiful \u2014\u00a0and even if the initial returns aren\u2019t what you desire, stick with it and trust that the fans will eventually figure out what to do with it. And in the meantime, if the upcoming concerts at the Hollywood Bowl go well, maybe consider planning something like what Harry Styles is currently doing at Madison Square Garden in New York \u2014\u00a0a long-extended residency that gives fans from all over the chance to make the pilgrimage to come see you, without burning you out on the road. <\/p>\n

\n\tAlicia Urrea: I\u2019d give her singles more room to breathe before releasing the full album.\u00a0Bass Persuades\u00a0felt like it had the potential to build on some of Cyrus\u2019 past successes, but sometimes artists move so quickly from one release to the net that individual songs don\u2019t get enough time to establish themselves. I understand the excitement of wanting to give fans a full work, but anticipation can be just as powerful. In addition, I\u2019d encourage her to develop a more recognizable sound. That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean she needs to stop experimenting \u2014 in fact, her ability to do so is one of her strengths. But I think finding a musical through line that feels very \u201cMiley\u201d can help give audiences and radio a clearer idea of what to expect from her while still leaving room for her creativity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Earlier this year, Miley Cyrus joined Atlantic Records after spending most of the decade on Columbia. Now, just…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":866358,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,25429,216],"class_list":["post-866357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-five-burning-questions","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/866358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}