Miley Cyrus brings the big screen drama on “Dream As One,” the singer’s just-released single from director James Cameron’s anticipated sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash. The soaring, emotional ballad was co-written by Cyrus, Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt and the film’s soundtrack composer, Simon Franglen, and in a tweet announcing its release on Friday morning (Nov. 14), Cyrus wrote, “Writing this song with Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt came straight from the heart. Every lyric remembers where we’ve been, reflects where we are, and holds hope for what’s ahead for all of us. It was an honor to create something so personal for a film that connects so deeply with people around the world.”
The passion and emotion she conjured for the third chapter in the eye-popping sci-fi series comes through from the very first lines of the song that will play over the end credits of the film: “Our love will never fade away/ We’re diamonds in the dark/ I put my head against your chest/ And listen to your heart,” Cyrus croons over a pulsing piano line.
And then she leans into the heart-tugging chorus of the song she also co-produced along with Wyatt and Ronson. “Even through the pain/ Even through the ashes in the sky/ Baby when we dream, we dream as one.”
Last month Cyrus teased the song in an Instagram while revealing her very personal connection to the lyrics and themes. “Having been personally affected by fire and being rebuilt from the ashes, this project holds profound meaning for me,” said the singer, whose Malibu home was destroyed in the 2018 Woolsey Fire in Los Angeles. “Thank you, Jim, for the opportunity to turn that experience into musical medicine. The film’s themes of unity, healing, and love resonate deeply within my soul, and to be even a small star in the universe the Avatar family has created is truly a dream come true.”
Not for nothing, but given her co-writers’ awards pedigree, Cyrus could end up on some hardware lists next year. Wyatt and Ronson shared the Academy Award for best original song for their work with Lady Gaga and Anthony Rossomando on the A Star Is Born single “Shallow” in 2019; they also won the best song written for visual media Grammy Award that year. Wyatt and Ronson were also nominated for a best original song Oscar in 2024 for the Barbie tune “I’m Just Ken.”
Cyrus knows her way around a rousing soundtrack song herself, having contributed the Golden Globe-nominated “Beautiful That Way” to 2024’s The Last Showgirl.
Avatar: Fire and Ash, the sequel to 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water, will hit theaters in the U.S. on Dec. 19
Listen to “Dream as One” and see Cyrus’ tweet announcing the song below.
