Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992) is an American actress and recording artist. The daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, she held minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood. In 2006, Cyrus rose to prominence as a teen idol after being cast in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana, in which she portrayed the starring character Miley Stewart. After signing a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2007, she released Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus, which served as the series’ soundtrack and Cyrus’ debut studio album. It sold three million copies in the United States, and produced the Billboard Hot 100 top-ten single “See You Again”. That year, her Best of Both Worlds Tour was adapted into the film Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert.
Cyrus’ second album, Breakout (2008), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments exceeding one million copies, and featured the successful track “7 Things”. That same year, she launched her film career as the voice actress for Penny in the animated film Bolt. She earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for her performance of its theme song, “I Thought I Lost You”. In 2009, Cyrus starred in the feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie, whose soundtrack and lead single “The Climb” introduced her to country and adult contemporary markets.
Cyrus developed an adult image and mainstream pop sound with her extended play The Time of Our Lives (2009). Peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, its track “Party in the U.S.A.” became her highest-peaking single on the chart. Cyrus’ maturing image progressed with the film The Last Song and her third album Can’t Be Tamed in 2010. The latter project featured more prominent dance elements than her earlier releases, and was promoted through sexually-themed performances. During the following two years, she focused on her acting career with several television and film appearances. In 2013, Cyrus will release her fourth album, Bangerz, through RCA Records. Its lead single, “We Can’t Stop”, was promoted by a provocative music video and a controversial performance at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.
Cyrus is recognized as being among the most successful artists to originate from Disney. Cyrus ranked number thirteen on Forbes’ 2010 Celebrity 100. For the 2011 Guinness World Records, she was named the “Most Charted Teenager” following her 29th US Billboard Hot 100 chart entry on November 7, 2009 with “Party in the U.S.A.”. She has six top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and had four RIAA certified albums by the age of 18.
1992-2005: Early life and career beginnings:
Destiny Hope Cyrus was born on November 23, 1992, in Nashville, Tennessee, to Letitia Jean “Tish” (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. Her name was derived from her parents’ belief that she would accomplish great things with her life, and was given the nickname “Smiley”, later shortened to “Miley”, because she often smiled as an infant. Cyrus suffers from a mild heart condition causing tachycardia which, though not dangerous, is often bothersome. Against the advice of her father’s record company, Cyrus’s parents secretly married a month after Cyrus’s birth on December 28, 1992. Tish had two children from a previous relationship: Trace and Brandi. Billy Ray adopted Trace and Brandi when they were young. She has a half-brother, Christopher Cody, Billy Ray’s son from a brief relationship, born the same year as Miley; he grew up with his mother in South Carolina. Tish and Billy Ray had two more children, Braison and Noah. Cyrus’s godmother is entertainer Dolly Parton. Cyrus was very close to her paternal grandfather, Democratic politician Ronald Ray Cyrus. Cyrus has paid her grandfather several tributes since his death in 2006, including eventually changing her middle name to “Ray”. According to Cyrus’s father, “A lot of people say Miley changed her name to Miley Ray because of Billy Ray, but that’s not true. She did that in honor of my dad, because the two of them just loved each other to pieces.” In 2013, Tish Cyrus filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
Cyrus grew up on a 500-acre (2.0 km) farm in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville, and attended Heritage Elementary School. She was raised Christian and was baptized in a Southern Baptist church prior to moving to Hollywood in 2005. She attended church regularly while growing up and wore a purity ring. Several of Cyrus’s siblings also eventually entered the entertainment business: Trace became a vocalist and guitarist for the electronic pop band Metro Station, Noah became an actress, and Brandi became a guitarist. In 2001, when Cyrus was eight, she and her family moved to Toronto, Canada while her father filmed the television series Doc. Cyrus said watching her father film the show inspired her to pursue acting. After Billy Ray took her to see a 2001 Mirvish production of Mamma Mia! at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Cyrus grabbed his arm and told him, “This is what I want to do, daddy. I want to be an actress.” She began taking singing and acting classes at the Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto. In her first role, Cyrus played a girl named Kylie on Doc. In 2003, Cyrus was credited under her birth name for her role as “Young Ruthie” in Tim Burton’s Big Fish. During this time, she also auditioned with Taylor Lautner for the feature film The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D and it came down to her and another actress, but Cyrus started doing Hannah Montana instead.
2006: Breakthrough with Hannah Montana:
At age 11, Cyrus learned of the casting for what became Hannah Montana, a Disney Channel children’s television series about a school girl with a secret double life as a teen pop star. Cyrus sent in a tape auditioning for its best friend role, but received a call asking her to audition for the lead, “Chloe Stewart”. After sending in a new tape and flying to Hollywood for further auditions, Cyrus was told that she was too young and too small for the part. However, the series’ producers invited her for further auditions in light of her persistence and her singing and acting abilities. The following year, Cyrus received the lead position, renamed “Miley Stewart” after herself.Hannah Montana premiered on March 24, 2006, to the largest audience for a Disney Channel program, and quickly ranked among the highest-rated series on basic cable, elevating Cyrus’ wealth and fame. Its instant success helped propel Cyrus to teen idol status.Time magazine reports that Cyrus’s “phenomenal” success is due partially to her talent and partially to “Disney learning to use its vast, multimedia holdings” and market Cyrus and Hannah Montana appropriately. Cyrus eventually became the first artist to have deals in television, film, consumer products, and music within The Walt Disney Company.
As Cyrus’ career flourished, Tish Cyrus made several critical decisions regarding her daughter’s representation. She signed Cyrus with Mitchell Gossett, director of the youth division at Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty. He is credited with “discovering” her after arranging her auditions for Hannah Montana. Per the recommendation of Cyrus’ godmother, country signer Dolly Parton, Tish signed Cyrus with Jason Morey of Morey Management Group for her music career because of their “good morals” that are “not always the case in this business”. Franke Swertlow of The Hollywood Reporter described Parton’s advice as “the best advice Tish could have gotten on who should rep her daughter.” Tish also recruited Billy Ray’s business manager to manage her daughter’s finances. Tish herself continues to co-manage or produce many of Cyrus’s career decisions. For her education, Cyrus enrolled at Options for Youth Charter Schools and studied with a private tutor on the set of her television show.
The theme song for Hannah Montana, “The Best of Both Worlds”, was released on March 28, 2006. The track is credited to “Hannah Montana”, the titular pop star Cyrus that portrays. As with other songs credited to Montana, Cyrus typically dressed as the character when performing the song live. It became Cyrus’ first charting song, debuting at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also had success in countries such as the UK and Ireland, where it peaked at number 43 and 17, respectively. Dressed as Hannah Montana, Cyrus opened for The Cheetah Girls on twenty dates of their The Party’s Just Begun Tour, beginning on September 15, 2006. On October 24, Walt Disney Records released the first Hannah Montana soundtrack. Of the nine tracks on the soundtrack performed by Cyrus, eight were credited to “Hannah Montana” and one, a duet with her father titled “I Learned from You”, was credited to Cyrus as herself. Cyrus’s first release under her own name had been a cover of James Baskett’s “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”, released on April 4, 2006, on the fourth edition of DisneyMania. The soundtrack debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first week sales of 281,000 copies. The album continued to top the chart during its second week, and has sold over 3.7 million copies worldwide. During this time period, Cyrus also released the song “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”, a collaboration with her father. It became her first Top 40 hit credited as herself, peaking at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also became her first Top 10 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 4.
2007-08: Meet Miley Cyrus and Breakout:
The second season of Hannah Montana premiered on April 23, 2007, and ran until October 12, 2008. Shortly afterwards, Cyrus signed a four-album deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records. The double-disc record Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus was released on June 26, 2007; the first disc served as the soundtrack to the second season of Hannah Montana, while the second acted as Cyrus’ debut studio album. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 326,000 copies. It was later certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The project spawned Cyrus’ debut single as herself, “See You Again”, which became her first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was eventually certified Platinum in the country, making it her first single to be RIAA certified. The track also had success in countries such as Australia and Canada, where it also peaked inside of the Top 10. The follow-up single “Start All Over” was released in early 2008; it failed to match the success of its predecessor, debuting and peaking at number 68 on the Hot 100. Numerous songs from the Hannah Montana portion of the album charted worldwide following its release.
During the fall of 2007, the Best of Both Worlds Tour was launched to promote the joint album. With the Jonas Brothers, Aly & AJ, and Everlife as her opening acts, Cyrus toured from October 17, 2007, to January 31, 2008, with stops in the United States and Canada. Tickets sold out in minutes and were scalped for up to $2,500 and an average of $214, well above their $26-$65 face value. A Ticketmaster official commented that “there hadn’t been a demand of this level or intensity since The Beatles or Elvis.” Upon the conclusion of the tour in January 2008, Walt Disney Pictures released Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, a 3D concert film of the tour, on February 1, 2008, for what was expected to be a one-week run. The film earned over $31 million at the box office and an average of $42,000 per theater, twice the expected total, convincing Disney executives to extend the release for an indefinite run. “We don’t want to turn away kids from the theaters who couldn’t get into the concerts,” said Chuck Viane, Disney’s chief of distribution. The film’s soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records on March 11, 2008, and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.
In February 2008, Cyrus and her friend Mandy Jiroux opened a YouTube account and began posting videos of what they called The Miley and Mandy Show. The show, described as a “YouTube hit”, was said to be filmed for fun by Cyrus and Jiroux and to be entirely their work, editing the footage together. In May 2008, Gossett, Cyrus’s longtime acting agent, left Cunningham Escott Slevin Doherty for United Talent Agency, partially with the hope of “giving Cyrus the major-agency backing that would support a widening career”. In June 2009, Cyrus left both Gossett and UTA, which had recently negotiated her deals for The Last Song and the fourth season of Hannah Montana, and joined the Creative Artists Agency, which had already represented her for music. Cyrus celebrated her sixteenth birthday at Disneyland with a charity fundraiser for Youth Service America, a youth volunteer service organization.
In April 2008, several provocative images of Cyrus in her underwear and swimsuit were leaked by a teenage hacker who accessed her Gmail account. Cyrus described the images as “silly, inappropriate shots” and stated, “I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect. I never intended for any of this to happen and I am truly sorry if I have disappointed anyone”. On April 25, 2008, Entertainment Tonight reported that a fifteen-year-old Cyrus had posed topless for a photoshoot taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair.The New York Times later clarified that though the pictures left an impression that she was bare-breasted, Cyrus was wrapped in a bedsheet and was actually not topless.
In a May 2008 interview with The Los Angeles Times, Francois Navarre, the proprietor of the X17 photo agency, said Cyrus’s market value had picked up considerably after the Vanity Fair photo controversy: “She’s started to sell more. … It used to be $300, and now it’s $2,000 for a picture.” Estimates for a picture of the then-15 year old’s first kiss ranged from $30,000 to $150,000. Navarre noted that Cyrus rarely behaved in a manner contrary to her wholesome image or went out without a parent and stated, “She has people waiting for the moment she starts to be less traditional. … It’s natural. Any teenager. But it’s going to come very fast. … As soon as her mom lets her go out by herself. It’s going to start to be interesting.”Time magazine included her on the 2008 Time 100, the magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Her write-up was written by former child star Donny Osmond, who warned, “As an idol to tweens the world over, singer-actress Miley Cyrus, 15, is riding a huge tidal wave at the pinnacle of her career; this is as it should be. I hope she enjoys it. … Within three to five years, Miley will have to face adulthood. … As she does, she’ll want to change her image, and that change will be met with adversity.”Billboard ranked Cyrus the fourth best-selling female artist of 2009 and the fifth best-selling singer overall. That year, at the age of sixteen, she became the youngest artist to have four number-one albums on the charts.
On July 22, 2008, Cyrus released her second studio album Breakout, which she said was inspired by “what’s been going on in my life in the past year.” Cyrus co-wrote eight out of twelve songs on the album. “Songwriting is what I really want to do with my life forever, … I just hope this record showcases that, more than anything, I’m a writer.”Breakout debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 371,000 copies. In doing so, it gave Cyrus her highest first-week sales to date and her third number-one album on the chart. The album went on to receive a Platinum certification from the RIAA, denoting sales of one million copies.Breakout was preceded by the lead single “7 Things”, which became her second single to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Its second single “Fly on the Wall” failed to have the same success, peaking at number 84 on the Hot 100. However, it peaked at number 16 in the United Kingdom. Cyrus hosted the 2008 CMT Music Awards with her father in April and the 2008 Teen Choice Awards by herself in August. In 2008, Cyrus provided the voice of Penny in the 2008 computer-animated film Bolt, which was released on November 21, 2008, to critical acclaim. Cyrus also co-wrote and recorded the song “I Thought I Lost You” as a duet with John Travolta for the film, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.
2009-12: Can’t Be Tamed and focus on film:
In 2009, Cyrus starred in the feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie. Both the film and its soundtrack, which contained twelve songs performed by Cyrus, achieved commercial success. Its lead single “The Climb” became a Top 40 hit in twelve countries and introduced Cyrus to listeners outside her typical teen pop audience. Cyrus had considered ending Hannah Montana after its third season, which finished production on June 5, 2009, but Disney retained and exercised its option for a fourth season. In September 2009, she participated in the charity single “Just Stand Up!” in support of the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer and in the City of Hope Benefit Concert in support of cancer research and training programs. She also became involved in Disney’s Friends for Change, an environmentalist group, for which she recorded the charity single “Send It On” along with several other Disney Channel stars. Shortly afterwards, Cyrus launched the third Hannah Montana soundtrack, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 137,000 copies. This was significantly lower than the first-week sales for her previous albums, and the soundtrack became her first not to receive an RIAA certification. The soundtrack did, however, spawn the single “He Could Be the One”, which entered the Top 10 of the Hot 100. In March 2009, Cyrus published Miles to Go, a memoir co-written by Hilary Liftin chronicling her life through age sixteen.
In partnership with Max Azria and Walmart, Cyrus launched her first clothing line in 2009. It was promoted with Cyrus’ first extended play The Time of Our Lives on August 31, 2009. Cyrus said The Time of Our Lives “is a transitioning album. … really to introduce people to what I want my next record to sound like and with time I will be able to do that a little more.” The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 62,000 copies. The following week, however, the album rose to number 2 on the chart, selling 153,000 copies. Its lead single “Party in the U.S.A.” debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her highest-charting single to date. To promote the album, Cyrus embarked on the Wonder World Tour, which included over 50 shows in the United States, England and Ireland. The tour was critically and commercially successful, grossing over $67.1 million worldwide. On December 7, 2009, Cyrus performed for Queen Elizabeth II and numerous other members of the British Royal Family at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool, North West England.
Cyrus began transitioning into an adult image in late 2008, when her representatives negotiated a deal for novelist Nicholas Sparks to write the screenplay and novel basis for a film that would serve as a star vehicle for Cyrus by introducing her to audiences older than the young fans she had gained through Hannah Montana. Sparks and co-writer Jeff Van Wie developed The Last Song. It was important to Cyrus that she not be type cast as a singer: “I didn’t want to be a singer in another film. I don’t want to do that anymore. You have no idea how many musicals show up on my door. I want to do something a little more serious.” Production on The Last Song lasted from June 15, 2009, to August 18, 2009. Cyrus starred in The Last Song, which was released on March 31, 2010 and received generally poor reviews, as did Cyrus’s performance. Nonetheless, the film was commercially successful, grossing more than $88 million at the worldwide box office. According to box-office analyst Exhibitor Relations, the film marked “a successful transition to adult roles for Miley Cyrus.” Before leaving to work on the film, Cyrus ended her nine-month relationship with model Justin Gaston, and began dating her Australian co-star Liam Hemsworth during production. She later called him her “first serious boyfriend”. The couple separated shortly after the film’s release, though they later reconciled. During this time period, production on the fourth and final season of Hannah Montana began. It began airing on Disney Channel on July 11, 2010, and concluded on January 16, 2011.
During production of these projects, Cyrus began recording her third studio album Can’t Be Tamed, and additionally appeared on the charity singles “We Are the World: 25 for Haiti” and “Everybody Hurts” for the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The album was released on June 21, 2010, and became her last to be released by Hollywood Records. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200; with first-week sales of 106,000 copies, it became Cyrus’ lowest first-week sales and her first studio album not to peak atop the Billboard 200 chart. The album has sold 343,000 copies in the United States to date, failing to receive an RIAA certification. The album was preceded by the lead single, “Can’t Be Tamed” on May 18, 2010, and peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. The second and final single “Who Owns My Heart” was released in select European countries. In February 2011, Cyrus confirmed she would be embarking on her Gypsy Heart Tour, which featured no North American dates. Cyrus later explained “Right now I just want to go to the places where I am getting the most love and Australia and South America have done that for me.” The tour began April 29, 2011 and concluded on July 2 after 21 shows. Cyrus performed on stadiums and at arenas in South and Central America, Philippines and Australia. The outfits and dance routines used by Cyrus while promoting Can’t Be Tamed were considerably more provocative than previous performances, arousing media criticism.
Following the release of Can’t Be Tamed, Cyrus confirmed she would be taking a break from her music career, opting rather to focus on acting. She commented, “I’ve not taken, like, acting lessons or anything, but it doesn’t mean I don’t need to because I’m sure I do … I’m probably going to go book an acting coach.” She later confirmed she would not be going to college for the time being, stating that “she is a firm believer that you can go back at any age you want” and “had worked hard to get to where she is now, and wants to enjoy it while it lasts.” Cyrus hosted Saturday Night Live on March 5, 2011, where she performed in several sketches. She later made an appearance on the MTV series Punk’d, appearing alongside Kelly Osbourne and Khloé Kardashian. In 2012, Cyrus starred in the film LOL alongside Demi Moore. Cyrus portrayed Lola, a teenage girl who experiments with drinking, drugs, and sexual activity. The film received a limited release, and was critically and commercially unsuccessful. Cyrus later starred in the comedy film So Undercover, appearing as an FBI agent who is required to go undercover at a college sorority. The film was released direct-to-video in the United States on February 5, 2013. It was also reported on August 2, 2011, by Contact Music that Cyrus has signed on to star in a comedy in which she plays a woman who broke a promise to God; the film has yet to be released.
In 2012, Cyrus recorded a cover of the Bob Dylan song “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go”, which was featured on the tribute album Chimes of Freedom: Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International. It earned positive reviews from music critics. Beginning in 2012, Cyrus recorded various performances of herself doing covers classic songs. She uploaded these performances onto YouTube throughout the summer and fall of 2012. It was later announced that Cyrus would star the film Family Bond, portraying a girl who meets her spy father in an attempt to save her kidnapped mother. The film, distributed by Universal Pictures, is slated for release in 2013. That same year, Cyrus made a guest appearance in the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men, appearing in two episodes as Missi, the girlfriend of character Jake Harper. Cyrus signed on to star as Mavis in the animated film Hotel Transylvania, but later dropped out to pursue her music career. On May 31, 2012, Cyrus and Hemsworth became engaged; he proposed to her with a 3.5-carat diamond ring.
2013: New image and Bangerz:
In 2012, Cyrus generated considerable media attention after cutting her traditionally long, brown hair in favor of a blonde, pixie-style haircut; she commented that she had “never felt more her in her whole life” and that “it really changed her life”. In 2013, Cyrus hired Larry Rudolph as her manager, who had previously worked with Britney Spears. That year, she left Hollywood Records after signing a recording contract with RCA Records, through which her fourth studio album Bangerz will be released in October. “We Can’t Stop” was serviced as the lead single from the record on June 3. The track peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, tying with “Party in the U.S.A.” as Cyrus’ highest-peaking single in the country. It also became her first number-one single in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where it became her first number-one single. Its accompanying music video received a mixed reception, and was noted for picturing Cyrus in a more sexual public image. It set a Vevo record after garnering over ten million views within twenty-four hours of its release, and later broke the website’s record for being the fastest video to reach 100 million views, accomplishing this feat in thirty-seven days.
Whilst working on the album, Cyrus appeared in various collaborations. She provided guest vocals for the Rock Mafia song “Morning Sun”, and provided background vocals for the song “Decisions” by Borgore. Cyrus and Hemsworth later appeared in the music video for the song. Cyrus appeared on the Snoop Lion song “Ashtrays and Heartbreaks”, released as the first single for his album Reincarnated on April 4, 2013. She later appeared on the song “Fall Down”, which was released as a promotional single for will.i.am’s album #willpower on April 16, 2013. The single debuted at number 58 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Cyrus’ first single to chart on the Hot 100 since “Can’t Be Tamed”. The single also debuted inside the Top 20 in Canada, as well as the Top 40 in the UK. On May 23, it was confirmed that Cyrus would be featured on the Mike Will Made It single “23”, alongside artists Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J. She also provided guest vocals on the Lil Twist single “Twerk”, which also featured vocals from Justin Bieber.
In August 2013, Cyrus was the subject of widespread media attention and public scrutiny following a controversial performance and duet with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards. The performance began with Cyrus performing “We Can’t Stop” in bear-themed attire. Following this, Thicke entered the stage singing “Blurred Lines” alternatively with Cyrus, who stripped down to a skin-colored two-piece outfit. Cyrus subsequently touched Thicke’s crotch area with a giant foam finger and twerked against his crotch. An article published in The Hollywood Reporter described the performance as “crass” and “reminiscent of a bad acid trip”. Media attention of the performance largely overshadowed the attention that was given to other major events of the night, such as the reunion of ‘N Sync and performances by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Cyrus’ performance was described by XXL critic B. J. Steiner as a “trainwreck in the classic sense of the word as the audience reaction seemed to be a mix of confusion, dismay and horror in a cocktail of embarrassment”, while the BBC said she stole the show with a “raunchy performance”. The performance also became the most tweeted about event in history, with Twitter users generating 360,000 tweets about the event per minute; breaking the previous record held by Beyonce’s Super Bowl XLVII halftime show performance six months earlier. News and social media sites featured numerous articles about parental concerns with the performance’s impact on children. Her performance was reported to contribute towards the dehumanization of black women in the form of “ratchet culture”, using them as living props and swatting one on the backside. Reacting to the controversy, Cyrus stated about her critics: “They’re overthinking it. You’re thinking about it more than I thought about it when I did it.”
Artistry:
Musical style:
Following her debut, Cyrus is most often considered a pop artist. In their review of the first Hannah Montana soundtrack, The Star Scoop described the songs on the album as being “upbeat pop songs, with a splash of country.” CommonsenseMedia described the songs from the same album as being “upbeat” and “girl-power” oriented, citing the lyrics to “I Got Nerve” as a prime example. Kirsi Bertolini for Yahoo! also felt that the song featured in Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus featured a girl-power theme, and felt that the songs were “bubbly” and “karaoke-like.”CinemaBlend compared the songs from Hannah Montana 2 to songs released by artists Avril Lavigne and Hilary Duff. The music found on the second disc of the album, though intended to be seen as Cyrus’ solo debut, were often noted as being similar in theme and style to that of Hannah Montana songs. With the release of her second studio album Breakout, Cyrus began to distance herself from the sound featured on her soundtrack appearances. The album is noted as featuring a wide variety of genres when compared to previous works by the artist. The song “Fly on the Wall”, taken from Breakout, is noted as featuring electropop influences in its production, while the song “These Four Walls” is seen as featuring country aspects.
The music taken from the soundtrack of the Hannah Montana movie features a more Country themed sound, in conjunction with the film’s plot. The song “Hoedown Throwdown” taken from the film is noted as combining influences of R&B and Country. “The Climb” has solid, clear vocals and is a standard-issue power ballad that places piano solos between chiming electric guitars. With the release of Cyrus’ 2009 album The Time of Our Lives, Cyrus incorporated a mixture of elements into the songs. “Kicking and Screaming” features instrumentation that relies on glam electric guitar riffing. It is noted as being the most prominent representation of rock music on The Time of Our Lives. The song “Party In the U.S.A.” features a mixture of R&B and pop music, while the album’s title track is described as being a bouncy, dance-pop song characterized by 1980s synths and a fizzy sound caused by a bubblegum pop background. While recording her third studio album, Cyrus stated she hoped it would be her last pop album as she “wasn’t inspired” by her music. She later announced plans for a new, rock inclined sound for future albums. The music featured on Can’t Be Tamed is often noted as being of the dance genre and heavily relies on bass. Cyrus herself later claimed the album contained music influenced by pop singer Lady Gaga and possessed techno qualities. When speaking of her fourth studio album Bangerz, Cyrus stated she felt the album had a “dirty south” feel, and stated she had collaborated with many rappers for a hip-hop vibe. She later elaborated that the album would combine the genres of hip-hop and Country, which she felt was a “good hybrid.”
Voice and performances:
Cyrus is a contralto vocal type, and is noted as having a “Nashville twang” in both her speech and singing voice. Songs such as “These Four Walls” have been noted as prime examples of Cyrus’ twangy vocals. In her song “Goodbye”, Cyrus’ vocal performance is more “roosty” with a more “natural-sounding accompaniment” In “Party in the U.S.A.”, Cyrus’ vocals display an undertone of alternative country twang and features belter refrains. Cyrus’ vocals for the song “Obsessed” are noted as being “husky.” Throughout her career, Cyrus has experimented with altering her voice. Songs such as “Fly on the Wall” see Cyrus’ voice processed to sound different. In “The Time of Our Lives”, Cyrus’ vocals display a prominent use of auto-tune, and are influenced by New Wave music. The songs taken from her Can’t Be Tamed album further explore the use of auto-tune on Cyrus’ vocals. The album’s title track is noted as using auto-tune throughout various portions of the song’s lyrics. When reviewing the Wonder World Tour, Dave Paulson of The Tennessean stated, “Cyrus’ spectacle sets her apart from nearly every other A-list act touring today. She’s not a renowned vocalist by any stretch, but her show’s choreography barely provides a moment for her to catch her breath, and she’s still able to deliver.”
In his review of the Best of Both Worlds tour, J. Freedom du Lac of The Washington Post described the concert as “a nearly 90-minute blast of pop in which the charismatic Cyrus – who complained that she wasn’t feeling well – commanded the stage with confidence, performing with a particular swagger.” The performances featured on Cyrus’ Wonder World Tour showed more dramatic performances; at one point, Cyrus performed on top of moving scaffolding. When performing a cover of “I Love Rock & Roll” on the tour, Cyrus performed the song suspended in the air atop of a Harley-Davidson Dyna Fat Bob FXDF 2010 that traveled through the air. Beginning with the release of The Time of Our Lives, Cyrus’ performances became somewhat more explicit and controversial in nature. Cyrus’s performance of “Party in the U.S.A.” at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards incited a media uproar, with some viewers criticizing Cyrus’s provocative outfit and inclusion of a brief pole dance as inappropriate for her age, then sixteen, and for her young fans. Conversely, Newsday reported that her sexualization “has been coming for some time.”Ian Drew, senior editor of US Weekly, said, “She already has this risque image, so it really wasn’t much of a stretch. That’s how Britney Spears took off. She was the good girl gone bad, and it looks to be working for Miley as well.” Her performance of Can’t Be Tamed on Britain’s Got Talent garnered much controversy. Midway through the performance, Cyrus grabbed a female backup dancer, dipping her low, and simulated a kiss. The performance was met with negative reactions from the media and caused her to release a statement in which Cyrus promised she did not kiss the backup dancer. Cyrus wrote, “It is ridiculous that two entertainers can’t even rock out with each other without the media making it some type of story. I really hope my fans are not disappointed in me because the truth is I did nothing wrong. I got up there and did my job which is to perform to the best of my ability.”
Public image:
Cyrus has a Christian faith, and was baptized in a Southern Baptist church in 2005. Cyrus is an avid supporter of gay rights, and is often vocal about her beliefs on the opinion. In 2011, Cyrus got a tattoo with two stripes on her right ring finger, symbolizing equal rights for gays. In 2012, she named London as her favorite place to perform due to its extensive gay scene. Cyrus’ song “My Heart Beats for Love”, taken from her Can’t Be Tamed album, was written about one of Cyrus’ gay friends, and is dedicated to all of Cyrus’ gay fans. In several interviews Cyrus has mentioned her use of cannabis, commonly known as weed. In a video obtained by The Daily, taking place at Cyrus’ 19th birthday party at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, Cyrus went to the microphone and addressed the crowd. Immediately after her Bob Marley-themed birthday cake had been brought out, Cyrus said, “You know you’re a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake. You know you smoke way too much fuckin’ weed.” One week later, Cyrus’ representative stated that Cyrus was just being a “smart-ass” and that the Bob Marley cake had just been an “inside joke” with Cyrus and her friends. In May 2013, Cyrus came first in Maxim’s Hot 100 of the year. In July 2013, Cyrus posed nude for a “Protect the Skin You’re In” T-shirt, part of a campaign by fashion designer Marc Jacobs to raise awareness and cash for melanoma research. All of the sales will benefit the NYU Cancer Institute and NYU Langone Medical Center.
In 2007, Cyrus earned $18 million. In 2008, Cyrus earned $25 million and was ranked number 35 on Forbes magazine’s Celebrity 100 list.Parade magazine reported she was the richest teenage celebrity and that her franchise would be worth approximately $1 billion by the end of the year. In 2009, Forbes ranked her #29 on the Celebrity 100 and reported she had earned a total of $25 million. In 2010, Cyrus was ranked 13th on Forbes’ Celebrity 100, earning $48 million from June 2009 to June 2010. She was the 4th highest earner under 30 years old and the youngest on the list. Between June 2010 and June 2011, Cyrus earned $54 million. From working on Hannah Montana, Cyrus was paid $15,000 per episode, making her the sixth-highest paid child star on television, behind fellow Disney stars Dylan and Cole Sprouse and Keke Palmer with $20,000 for their shows. At age 17 she was named #19 on the “Top 20 World’s Richest Female Singers of All Time” list, with over $100 million in earnings in five years, which made her the youngest female artist on the list. In 2011, she was named #1 on the Top 10 Richest Teens in Hollywood, with $120 million.
