Noah Cyrus’ latest EP The End of Everything chronicles her battles with depression and body dysmorphia, and sees the singer-songwriter contemplating past relationships. It was released to huge fanfare on May 15th, and as far as pop material goes, it’s pretty dark. It’s also extremely revealing: there are blatant cries for help on the hair-raisingly beautiful, gospel-tinted “Lonely”, and she admits to feeling guilty about a lot of things she arguably has no control over.

But when she picks up the phone, the wall of sadness is nowhere to be found. “How are things in Ireland?” she asks, as though she isn’t the one being interviewed. After chatting jovially about tattoos (Cyrus has so many she’s lost count), it becomes necessary for us to discuss her mental health, because her battles are woven into the very fabric of The End of Everything. “At the beginning of 2018, my self confidence was so low, and my depression and anxiety was so bad. I couldn't look in a mirror without bursting into tears, and if the question ‘how are you’ was asked, then forget about it,” she says. “At that point, I thought ‘if I don't fix something, I don't know how I'm going to live another day’”. That’s intense, for someone so young.

“It wasn't anything people should be scared of me saying,” she counters. “I meant that I physically didn't know how I could take this feeling in my body another day. And I needed to get it out. I was exhausted, and so tired of hating myself.
“To be a young person, no matter what gender you are, and hate yourself because of people's views that have been weighed in over the fucking internet? It hurts”. If there’s one thing Cyrus advocates for, it’s talking.

“I do encourage so much for people to start the conversation, whether or not you're the one asking a person if they're okay. There's a way to gently do that. And I promise,” she emphasises, “once you start getting the help you need, something gets lifted”.

Cyrus has long lived in the shadow of public scrutiny. Her elder sister (Miley) is not a topic open for discussion, although the weight of the dynasty that sits on Noah’s shoulders makes it almost impossible for the twenty year old to escape comparison. Frankly, Cyrus is right to shut it down. This EP speaks for itself, and renders her sibling completely beside the point.

Since birth, Noah’s been ridiculed and poked fun of simply for being Not Miley. The End of Everything essentially takes a lifetime of pain and trauma and distills it into eight mesmerising tracks, giving the pop star an opportunity to emerge from underneath the cloud of her detractors more forcefully and gracefully than anyone expected.

Listen to The End of Everything below.