Nuevo Culture

Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa Transform Into Rock ’n’ Roll Vampires for “Prisoner”

At the beginning of October, after being spotted shooting a video together in New York City, rumblings that Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa were working on a secret project began to emerge. As to what the project was, however, both remained tight-lipped. 

The first concrete clues came earlier this week when Cyrus unveiled the tracklist for her upcoming rock-inspired album Plastic Hearts: sitting at number four on the lineup was “Prisoner,” featuring Lipa. And finally, earlier this evening, the song dropped as a surprise release—accompanied by a video that more than lives up to Cyrus’s track record for provocative, boundary-pushing visuals.

With Cyrus and Lipa performing as unnamed rockstars, the clip sees them driving a tour bus together, writhing around on the floor, and pouring blood-red cherry juice over each other, before delivering a riotous show in a dive bar that ends with Lipa giving the audience the middle finger while wearing an ultra-rare ’90s Gucci cut-out dress designed by Tom Ford. Just your average Saturday night, then. 

Other features on Plastic Hearts include Billy Idol and Joan Jett, the latter of whom Cyrus channels in the video both with her shaggy mullet—albeit here dyed a streaky blonde in place of Jett’s signature deep black—and plenty of leather, lace, and lingerie as the pair rip each other’s fishnet tights and lean in to kiss before turning to the camera and singing the chorus. 

Packed with grunge-inspired fashion and enough black eyeliner to make Jett herself jealous, it’s safe to say the mystery of Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa’s collaboration is now very much solved.