In The Close-Up, Coveteur gets up close and personal with the people shaping the creative industries as we know it, from artists to musicians.
“I’m sucked, plucked, and tucked in all the way,” Miley Cyrus says, her raspy Southern twang unfurling like soft curls of cigar smoke. She smooths the edge of her corset dress. (I make a mental note to ask her publicist later if it’s Maison Margiela, then promptly forget. Her aura is too distracting.) We’re tucked into a small private room at the back of Bar Marmont, the soon-to-open, secretive little sister to L.A.’s legendary Chateau. The newly-remodeled Bar feels like an ode to Old Hollywood glamour, with a dash of Art Deco quirkiness thrown in: geometric floor tiles, low velvet banquettes, amber light filtering through shag-fringed lamps. Cyrus is perched on one of the velvet chairs now, looking right at home among the decadence and beaming at me with that signature Cyrus smile. "I’m trying something a little different, a little smokier," she says, gesturing to her makeup. Like the Bar Marmont itself, she’s in a season of reinvention.
In the past year, she’s released Something Beautiful—a visual album full of lush '80s synths and her most introspective yet—rebuilt her Malibu home after the 2018 wildfire, embraced sobriety, and, the reason we’re meeting today, become the new global face of Maybelline. (“You can’t have Maybelline without Miley,” she quips.) She’s also spoken candidly about her decision to stop touring, trading the constant churn of the road for stability and creative control. Sitting across from me now—corseted, calm, her long hair falling in wild waves down her back—she exudes a kind of grounded confidence that only comes after a few hard-won life lessons. She seems, undeniably, like a woman fully at peace with herself.
Ahead, we discuss about personas, Sagittarius misconceptions, and why, these days, she’s more interested in the process instead of the end result.
Myles Hendrik
Congratulations on the Maybelline announcement! How does it feel to be the face of brand that's such a household name?
Miley Cyrus: “I say this with all respect, but it felt really easy. Meaning, sometimes things take hard work and effort and devotion to get created, but this has just been really seamless and authentic. I think it makes a lot of sense. Nothing about it felt out of the blue. It felt right. Everyone totally understood the partnership immediately, and that felt really good.”
What Maybelline product are you currently using non-stop?
MC: “I’m obsessed with the Serum Lipstick. I have to have things that are hydrating and that really feel good. I feel my most confident, sexy, and in my own power when I’m wearing something that I barely even feel when it’s on. When I’m wearing makeup that’s too noticeable, it feels almost like a persona or a character. I just want something that feels natural—like it’s already a part of me. It doesn’t matter if I’m at the grocery store—I want to feel hot. But if I’m onstage, I want to feel hotter."
Tell me about your look tonight.
MC: “I’ve had bleached brows all year, but I’ve let my brows grow out naturally back to their own color. I’m rocking my natural [hair] texture. I’ve been growing and going. My dad’s not going to believe me. He was like, ‘You’ve got extensions.’ This is from him [gestures to her hair]. Everything in my hair has just been about reflecting my health and my skin. With the makeup, too—I’ve played characters for so long, performed for so long, had a persona for so long—that I really wanted to be with a brand that bridged both: who I am as a person, and who I am as my persona. This makeup is perfect. If I just chilled it out a little, I could walk down the street and just be anybody.”
I love that. I know you’re a Sagittarius—what parts of being a Sagittarius do you identify with most, and are there any parts you think are misunderstood?
MC: “I think the kind of recklessness of Sagittarius. In a way, it’s something that’s aligned with my persona, but not really aligned with who I am as a person. I think I project myself as a little more wild and fearless, but in reality I’m a little more logical, reasonable, more scheduled, and less go-with-the-flow.”
Do you know your moon sign?
MC: “Scorpio. And Taurus [rising]. I get that from my mom. My mom’s a Taurus and her rising is Sagittarius, so we’re the opposite."
Myles Hendrik
You’ve mentioned recently that you’ve been organizing and cataloging all your different eras of life. What are some words you’d use to describe your current era right now?
“My current era would be joy, meaning, and…it's more than one word, but I would say ‘no pressure.’ I feel like I’ve had so much pressure on myself throughout my career that now, I just don’t let the pressure be there, and I actually get such a better result. Maybe a better word is ‘expectation’—throwing out that expectation and allowing things to be more creative and less about reaching some sort of goal.
Even though I’ve been very goal-oriented, now I just want to throw that out and go, it’s not about making a mark. It’s about enjoying the process—having it be something that lives on past your lifetime, something deep and meaningful that brings joy into your everyday life.”
I love that. I was just reading about the Law of Detachment yesterday, and it’s exactly what you said: detaching yourself from the end result is what will bring true success. Since we’re getting deep, what are you manifesting for 2026?
“Honestly, there’s a David Bowie quote where he said, ‘Magic happens when your feet can’t touch the ground.’ It’s like when you’re going out into the ocean and you’re a little bit scared and you don’t feel the sand beneath you anymore. So for me, 2026 is about getting uncomfortable, feeling confident in those moments of discomfort, and knowing that it’s just growing pains."
Let’s end on a fun note—what song off your current album are you loving the most right now, and why?
“Every Girl You’ve Ever Loved,” because I’m obsessed with Naomi Campbell.
Period.
“Period.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
