Why Did Miley Cyrus Announce ‘Plastic Hearts’ the Same Night Ariana Grande Dropped ‘Positions’?
Singer Ariana Grande debuted her latest single, “Positions,” in October 2020. That same night, Miley Cyrus announced her upcoming seventh album, titled Plastic Hearts. It was a great day for their fans (known as Arianators and Smilers, respectively). But was the timing just a coincidence? Learn more about their connection here.
Ariana Grande released her single ‘Positions’
After months of teasing her fans about new music to come, Grande announced her sixth album in October 2020. The lead single, “Positions,” debuted on October 23, 2020, at midnight EST. In addition to premiering on all streaming platforms, the “Positions” music video dropped at the same time, featuring Grande in the White House.
The countdown clock on her website indicated that the premiere of “Positions” was one week before another drop, presumably the full album of the same name. Grande confirmed this hours later, tweeting, “positions the single out now. positions my 6th album out Friday the 30th.”
Miley Cyrus announced her new album, ‘Plastic Hearts’
As Arianators watched the premiere of the “Positions” video, Cyrus dropped her news. In a message shared on her social media platforms, the artist wrote that her plans for her upcoming album had changed. Rather than continuing her planned drop of She Is Miley Cyrus, she added new music to the old.
“I began this album over 2 years ago,” Cyrus wrote, on Instagram, explaining, “I lost my house in a fire but found myself in its ashes.” She continued. “In triumph and gratitude I present to you my 7th studio record, Plastic Hearts,” she wrote, revealing a release date of November 27, 2020.
Cyrus commented on Grande’s release
Fridays are a typical release day for artists. This is because the Billboard chart tracks weekly sales from Friday-Thursday. So dropping music at midnight on Friday means it has the most time to accumulate numbers. However, announcements can come at any time, so Cyrus’ decision regarding timing is unclear.
Regardless of what led her to share the news at that time, Cyrus likely wasn’t trying to take away from Grande’s big moment. She was supportive of the new single, writing “I’m obsessed” on Grande’s Instagram post sharing that the “Positions” music video was out (as documented by Smilers on Twitter).
Grande and Cyrus’ friendship
Cyrus and Grande’s relationship goes back many years. After hanging out at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2014, Grande joined Cyrus for a duet during her 2015 Backyard Sessions. They reprised the song (Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over”) in 2017 at Grande’s One Love Manchester benefit concert (above).
“I’ve been trying to start a real relationship and not try to ask her to work or collaborate too much,” said Cyrus in a 2018 SiriusXM interview. “I feel like she needs a friend. I could use a friend. And I would love to start that relationship more.” In 2019, the artists teamed up with Lana Del Rey on “Don’t Call Me Angel” for the Charlie’s Angels soundtrack.
