Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
Culture > Entertainment

Who Is “B” In “Easy Lover”? Miley Cyrus Revealed The Backstory

ICYMI, Miley Cyrus just released new music, and I am sat. On May 30, Cyrus released the 13-track record Something Beautiful, with one of the single releases being the song “Easy Lover. “If you are like me, you were probably reading the lyrics as you listened to the song to analyze them — and in that case, you will have seen that she includes a short little ad-lib referencing someone named “B,” when she says, “Tell em’ B!” If you heard that and wondered who she was referencing, you aren’t the only one. So, who could it “B”? You don’t have to wait long to find out!

In an interview, she explained the backstory for this song, and it’s honestly super cute. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe on May 21, Cyrus revealed the shout-out is for none other than Beyoncé, and she shared the backstory of how it came to be. “I had written [“Easy Lover”] around Plastic Hearts days and never got the production quite where I wanted it, but I had always loved that chorus,” she told Lowe. “When Beyoncé was looking for songs on her country record, I remembered that chorus and was like, ‘That would work really well for country,’ so I started working on that.” Of course, fans now know that Beyoncé chose Cyrus’s ‘Shotgun Rider’ instead, which ultimately became “II MOST WANTED.”

Cyrus recalled Beyoncé choosing that song. “She was like, ‘Two most wanted, that’s us,’” she said. “I was like, ‘That is so the perfect title.’” Of course, “II MOST WANTED” went on to win the Grammy for best Country Duet Performance, so it seems like they made the right choice.

But still, Cyrus decided to keep the, “Tell ’em B,” ad-lib in “Easy Lover,” perhaps as a nod to what the song could have been. That said, even though “Easy Lover” ended up not making it onto Cowboy Carter, the song has all the makings of a catchy chart-topper all on its own. I have a feeling that sooner rather than later, I will *finally* have a Miley Cyrus lyric stuck in my head that’s not “What the helly Cyrus.” 

Julia Dwyer

Toronto MU '25

Julia is a National Life Writer and the Managing Editor for Her Campus TMU. She has lived in Toronto her whole life. She is passionate about women and the things they create, book adaptations, and really good stories with flawed, loveable characters. When she's not procrastinating, studying, or buying expensive coffee on campus, you can find her rewatching Pride and Prejudice, reading everything that Emily Henry publishes, and wishing she could be eating apple pie.