Miley Cyrus embraces glammed-out rock & roll on new single with Stevie Nicks

Miley Cyrus has been on a bit of a rock kick, lately. Ever since she abandoned the “Hannah Montana” persona, she’s made a marked effort to distance herself from the childish, clean, Disney-channel associations her past alter-ego thrived on. Some of her first singles post-Hannah Montana, like 2013’s “Wrecking Ball” and “We Can’t Stop,” are clear in their intentions: Miley Cyrus is all grown-up. Since then, she has faded in and out of the limelight, usually mired in controversy, occasionally lauded with praise. However, this year, she’s taken a sharp turn away from the hip-hop and pop production that have defined her past releases, instead embracing glammed-out rock & roll.

The new direction has been exceedingly effective. Her latest string of covers, including Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” Nine Inch Nails “Head Like A Hole,” the Arctic Monkeys’ “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High,” the Cranberries’ “Zombie,” Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe,” and the Eagles’ “Take It To The Limit” show the singer — now sporting a slick mullet — utilizing all of her pop sensibilities and showmanship.

The new rock star persona may prove to be one of the most interesting career moves any pop star has made over the past few years. A little over a week ago, Cyrus announced her upcoming rock album, Plastic Hearts (out November 27), which will contain studio versions of the aforementioned “Heart of Glass” and “Zombie” covers, as well as a new track that was released last night, “Edge of Midnight.” The new track is a mashup between Cyrus’ “Midnight Sky” and Stevie Nicks’ “Edge of Seventeen,” and features new vocals from both singers. In an Instagram post, Cyrus called Nicks “my idol & an inspiration,” and that “it’s an honor to now call her my friend and collaborator.”

“Edge of Midnight” is an effortless collaboration between the two artists, and certainly shows that Cyrus is well-suited to dive headfirst into rock & roll. While Plastic Hearts will probably not be the most revolutionary rock album of all time (or even of the year), it certainly marks an interesting and uncommon career trajectory; a pivot that, so far, has sounded incredible.

Pre-order Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts here. Listen to “Midnight Sky (Edge of Midnight)” below.