Miley Cyrus Was Called 'Cold Blooded' While Writing 'Bad Karma' (and the Surprising Inspiration Behind the Song)
Like many artists, Miley Cyrus is sometimes hesitant to reveal the person (or people) who inspired certain songs. However, she didn't have any problem sharing which famous man led her to write her long-awaited Plastic Hearts track, "Bad Karma." Learn who it is here.
Miley Cyrus teased 'Bad Karma' in 2019
Miley Cyrus attends the 2019 Met Gala on May 06, 2019 in New York City. | Theo Wargo/WireImage
In May 2019, Cyrus attended the Met Gala with then-husband Liam Hemsworth. She shared a video of her singing (with Hemsworth in the background) on her Instagram Story. As she belted out the chorus, the text accompanying the footage revealed it was a song titled "Bad Karma."
"They say it's bad karma, being such a heart breaker/I've always picked a giver, 'cause I've always been a taker/I'd rather just do it, then I'll think about it later, uh-huh/Kiss me, bad karma," sang Cyrus. Fans were hopeful that the song would appear on one of her planned EPs comprising She Is Miley Cyrus.
The song made it onto 'Plastic Hearts' — with a twist
November 27th pic.twitter.com/hT6Fq3s8O2
— Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) November 13, 2020
RELATED: Miley Cyrus' 'Plastic Hearts' Tracklist Includes a Duet With Joan Jett — and It's the Song Her Fans Have Been Waiting For
But Cyrus scrapped those plans. She and Hemsworth separated (then divorced), and the artist had to take a break from recording for a while due to vocal surgery. After a year without releasing new music, she returned with "Midnight Sky," the first single off her 2020 album, Plastic Hearts.
Shortly after announcing her seventh studio album, Cyrus revealed the tracklist for Plastic Hearts. Among the 12 titles there are three collaborations, including her November 2020 single, "Prisoner" with Dua Lipa. Another is "Bad Karma," which features none other than rock legend Joan Jett.
Here are some 'Bad Karma' lyrics
Cyrus spoke about the writing process of "Bad Karma" with Zane Lowe for Apple Music. "I wrote that sitting in traffic. I started with, 'You may think I'm ghosting, but the truth is I'm a liar/I sell you what I tell you, but you ain't a f*cking buyer.' It was just the truth," she said of the lyrics. The singer notes that she 'was called cold-blooded so many times.'
As for the addition of Jett, Cyrus said that Mark Ronson told her, "This is the most Miley record of all time." "And I thought, 'There's only one person who could own this record more than me.' It's Joan Jett. Because that's who instilled that into me. 'Cherry Bomb' you know? 'I don't give a d*mn about my bad reputation.' That's what that song is."
Cyrus doesn't believe in karma because of Donald Trump
Miley Cyrus during Women's March in Los Angeles, California on January 21, 2017. An estimated crowd of 750,000 people marched to protest President Donald Trump. | Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Cyrus cited more lyrics. "Even the bridge is saying, 'I don't give a f*ck, I don't believe in luck/That's why I do want I want to do,'" she said. Perhaps surprisingly, the singer confided, "I actually don't believe in karma. Because if karma was real, I think we'd see it more play out than it does."
Cyrus continued, "I think that sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't." She then revealed part of her inspiration behind the "Bad Karma." "To me, I wrote that actually — I wrote that when Donald Trump became president. Because that's the day I thought that karma might not be real."