The Ying-Yang Twins deemed her the “twerking mascot.” Jay Z made her name synonymous with the dance move on his Holy Grail track “Somewhereinamerica.” And she all but declared herself the queen of twerking in her raucous video for “We Can’t Stop.” But when Big Sean recruited Miley Cyrus for his “Fire” video, off his Hall of Fame, due out August 27, he made sure there was not to be any twerking involved.
In fact, the clip, released on Friday (August 2), is a stylishly serene affair — apart from Miley breaking a red rose like a vase, not much actually happens in its almost three minutes. That’s because Sean wanted there to be “a lot of metaphors,” and he wanted Miley to bring them to life.
“I wanted somebody who was beautiful and I wanted to take her out of her element,” Sean told MTV News recently. “People looking at her like she’s twerking and all this stuff, but she’s an awesome person, man. She symbolizes the beauty of a lot of women overcoming different relationships and being as beautiful as a flower.”
Even if viewers don’t understand every last metaphor, Miley’s beauty is declared loud and clear. Her fit, Disney-princess-no-more body is on full display in barely-there shorts, a crop top and heels. Miley’s seductive stances and sultry glares are interrupted solely by images of a red rose and a burning picture of the MC himself. After the rose shatters when Miley throws it on the grown, it later implodes into its original state, as she stares on with unrelenting eyes. So what does it all mean?
Sean admitted that what he’s rapping about “really doesn’t have anything to do with her personal story in the video.” (He details the trials of his Detroit upbringing on the choir-backed track.) Rather, it’s about “getting through your own fire, making it through the fire.”
And if you ask Sean, Miley made it out just fine.
“I was happy she was a part of it. I’m glad she was able to help get that story out,” he said. “I think it’s gonna be a great piece for her because it just shows how elegant she can be.”
