Violet Chemistry

Album: Endless Summer Vacation (2023)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Violet Chemistry" is a forget-about-tomorrow anthem where Miley Cyrus wants her a lover to stay with her and not deny what the two have. It's like a "let's live in the moment" kind of song, even though deep down she acknowledges their union could be a bit risky. But hey, when you're in love, sometimes you gotta take that chance.
  • The color violet is associated with the LGBT community, so Cyrus may be referring here to a romantic connection with a woman.

    This wouldn't be surprising, as Cyrus has long been an LGBT ally and identifies as queer. After the breakdown of her marriage to Liam Hemsworth, she had a short-lived romance with reality star Kaitlynn Carter.
  • Cyrus teamed up with a bunch of big names for this synth-pop love song. Mike WiLL Made-It, Sia, James Blake, Jesse Shatkin, Maxx Morando and Max Taylor-Sheppard all contributed to the track.

    Mike WiLL Made-It is a longtime Cyrus collaborator, including on seven tracks from her Bangerz album.

    Sia and her producer Jesse Shatkin also worked with Cyrus on the Endless Summer Vacation track "Muddy Feet."

    Maxx Morando is Cyrus' musician boyfriend, whom she started dating in late 2021. Morando is a drummer for the band Liily, and he also contributed to the Endless Summer Vacation track "Handstand."

    This is the first time the singer-songwriters James Blake and Max Taylor-Sheppard worked with Cyrus.
  • The musicians are:

    James Blake: synthesizer
    Keyon Harrold: trumpet
    Mike Will Made It: drums
    Maxx Morando: bass guitar, drums, keyboards, synthesizer
    Max Taylor-Sheppard: bass guitar, drum machine, drums, keyboards, synthesizer
  • "Violet Chemistry" blew up when Selena Gomez gave it a shout-out on her Instagram. The "Lose You to Love Me" singer posted a gorgeous no-makeup selfie and captioned it with this song's title.

    Miley and Selena go way back to their Disney Channel days. Miley starred as the titular character in Hannah Montana, on which Gomez had a recurring role as Mikayla. Selena had her own show too, Wizards of Waverly Place.
  • While working on "Violet Chemistry," Cyrus asked the writers if they could infuse some additional flair and excitement into the song. "My friend Max Taylor-Sheppard and I brainstormed the idea of incorporating an Erykah Badu-inspired bridge with a distinctive bassline and some unconventional elements,"Maxx Morondo recounted to Billboard. "Surprisingly, it all came together in about 15 minutes. We enjoy the concept of introducing an unexpected but tasteful element into the mix."

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