Miley Cyrus and Mert Alas Create Three Distinct Visuals for Bass Persuades Rollout

KUALA LUMPUR, 1 OCTOBER 2026 —

Pop star Miley Cyrus and fashion photographer Mert Alas have released three distinct music videos for tracks from her latest album "Bass Persuades," marking a new creative era for the artist ahead of live performances at the Hollywood Bowl on October 16 and 18.

Cyrus described the album on Instagram as a reflection of her two-decade career trajectory. "This album happened fast, but that's been my life for 20 years," she wrote. "Once I started wishing to land a role that would make LA my home it's been nonstop. This album is a reflection of everywhere I've been along the way, and the peace that came with starting to slow it all down."

The collaboration originated organically when Cyrus messaged Alas asking when he would next be in Los Angeles. "I responded saying I had just landed," Alas recalls. They met the following day at the Chateau Marmont, where Cyrus played him the entire album. "We started planning on the spot," he says.

Their creative partnership dates back to when Cyrus was a teenager, with the Chateau Marmont serving as a recurring backdrop for many shoots and shared experiences over the years.

The lead single "Bass Persuades" received a video treatment Alas describes as "an ode to pop music from the '80s, '90s, and 2000s," drawing on the work of icons like Madonna and Britney Spears. "Miley talks about the world we're heading toward, reminding us that maybe this is why we're not dancing anymore," Alas says.

"When she says that 'kids don't wanna dance,' what she really means is that she wants to dance — and she wants everybody to dance." The video emphasizes human touch, movement, and collective release, framed as a reminder of "the strength, beauty, and magic of pop music."

For the second video, "Let's Get Married," the direction shifted toward intimacy. The concept emerged from the day Cyrus informed Alas of her engagement to Maxx Morando. "I met him, I loved him, and I was so happy for my friend that she was finally getting married," Alas says. They staged a pre-wedding gathering at the Chateau Marmont, specifically in Room 49, a space heavy with personal history.

"That room had been the setting for many parties with Miley in the past. We've spent so much time there together — we've gone crazy, danced, talked, laughed. So in a way, the video also became a little moment from one of our own parties, capturing that sense of intimacy and history between us." Alas characterizes the video as being "really about love, friendship, togetherness, and sentimentality."

The third video, "Different Religion," released September 30, pivots again toward rock aesthetics. Featuring the band Model/Actriz, the narrative follows "a girl who is religiously obsessed with this guy and becomes involved in a dangerous love affair in the desert," according to Alas. "Is he a vampire? Is he a knife-thrower?

In the end, it was all a dream." The visuals place Cyrus on an open desert road flanked by mountains, racing in a Pontiac Firebird and performing on electric guitar. "It's rock at its best," Alas says, "and the fact that she was actually playing the guitar herself for the video made it even more magical."

Executing three completely different visual languages within a single album cycle presented challenges for both artist and director. Alas noted Cyrus's unusual level of engagement across every production phase. "What was especially exciting was seeing how committed and serious she was throughout the entire process, from rehearsals and costumes to the smallest details," he says.

"And I loved that, because details are my world." Alas described the experience as "incredibly exciting to collaborate with such a talented musician and artist as Miley. To play, dream, and create together: It's not something we often get the opportunity to experience."

Cyrus is scheduled to perform the album live at the Hollywood Bowl on October 16 and 18.