The Magnificent Evolution Of Miley Cyrus

After getting her major break at the age of 13 as Hannah Montana, the superstar leading a double life, this role would become a fitting metaphor for the rest of her career. When she puts on the wig, she’s Hannah Montana, and when she takes it off, she’s Miley Stewart. Likewise, her public perception and relationship with the media would take on similar qualities of dual-persona. For years, she was a Disney idol, a teeny bopper, and a role model for young girls to look up to. Once her Disney contract ended, she did what many superstars before her, à la Britney Spears and Madonna, had done – re-invented themselves, often through controversy, sex appeal, and a shedding of the image of adolescence that had permeated their early careers. Miley Cyrus found herself in an adversarial relationship with her image, which she saw as carefully curated, cookie-cutter, and out of touch with the boundary-pushing star she had grown into.

Who Created Miley Cyrus?

Miley Cyrus’ desperation to shed the innocent, youthful Disney image that characterized her career up until this point was bubbling over the surface, culminating in an edgy “burn it all to the ground” era around the release of her 2013 album Bangerz. She cut off her hair, even shaving the sides and bleaching it platinum blonde. She was unrecognizable, showing up to the red carpets and events in edgier, more provocative outfits. Changing your image visually is usually the first symbolic step on the path to reinvention. She began performing much more adult music, accompanied by risque performances, twerking, use of drugs, and a raunchy sailor’s mouth. However, it didn’t start here. Cyrus had first teased a more mature image with the release of her third studio album, Can’t Be Tamed, one year before leaving Hannah Montana behind for good in 2011. She dawned long, dark, voluminous hair, her makeup was grungy, and her outfits were more akin to clubbing ‘fits than the sequin-adorned costumes we were used to seeing. The music was an impressive debut for an artist who had been singing music for children and was only 17 years old when the album was released. “Can’t Be Tamed,” “Who Owns My Heart,” and “Stay” were standout tracks that teased an inner desire for liberation. 

The music video for “Can’t Be Tamed” was a defining moment in pop culture; at the time, considered scandalous and inappropriate for teenage girls. Today, it’s a laughably innocuous music video for pop music standards, something that Cyrus trailblazed. This explosion of rebellion had been building for years, with teenage Cyrus continually finding herself at the center of controversies left and right. Some of these scandals include posing in a partially nude Vanity Fair cover, dancing on a “stripper pole” (a pole sticking out of an ice cream truck as part of a performance meant for stabilization) at the Teen Choice Awards, a leaked video of the star rambling incoherently while smoking salvia, and leaked private images of a 15-year-old Cyrus posing suggestively for her then-boyfriend Thomas Sturges (and then again with images meant for her then-boyfriend Nick Jonas). If you’re noticing a trend, many of these were not her fault or her responsibility as a minor to be navigating in such a predatory industry intent on sexualizing young girls. Instead of questioning why her parents or Vanity Fair thought it was appropriate to place a topless 15-year-old girl posing suggestively for their magazine, the shaming was directed entirely in one direction – placed on the shoulders of the underage girl.

Enter: 2013. Cyrus breaks up with her fiancé, Liam Hemsworth, and she’s done with Hannah Montana. She’s ready to be taken seriously as a pop star in her own right. At this point, she knows that she needs to do something drastic to separate herself from Hannah Montana and to get everyone talking about her music. That’s where we get the distancing from Disney and Hannah Montana altogether, the constant references to smoking weed, the twerking on Robin Thicke, and swinging naked on a wrecking ball. Amidst the controversy over every single thing she did during this era, one thing was unmistakable: It worked. As a marketing tactic, getting everyone across the world to talk about you is an obligatory step in the pop star handbook. Did she act cringe throughout this era? Undoubtedly, but she was also 20 years old when Bangerz was released – an album that fundamentally transformed pop music and pop stars forever. Because of Miley Cyrus, ex-Disney or ex-Nickelodeon acts can now transition into an adult career with ease and without much hastiness. Speaking of which, the same people lambasting her outrageous Bangerz era were hardly there for her toned down, beachy girl Younger Now era, which saw Cyrus returning to her country roots and abandoning her former theatrics. It was also one of her worst commercially performing albums.

Cyrus reunited with her ex-fiancé Liam Hemsworth, releasing a song called “Malibu” that boasted about how appreciative she is that he brought the Nashville native to Malibu, where she found a love for the beach and felt more content in her life than ever. There were no more scantily clad performances, offensive theatrics, or rebelliousness. This was, for all intents and purposes, her “trad” era, with many observing from her interviews and performances at the time that she was “normal now.” “Younger Now” featured verses like, “Feels like I just woke up / like all this time I’ve been asleep / even though it’s not who I am / I’m not afraid of who I used to be” before going into the chorus “No one stays the same / you know what comes up must come down / change is a thing you can count on / I feel so much younger now.” This song is about how, though the controversy-laden star no longer resonates with her shock jockey era, she doesn’t hold regrets about it because it was a necessary stepping stone for her to come around to embracing who she is. Though people claimed this was what they wanted to see from Cyrus, her music underperformed.

During this era, she stopped feeling ashamed of Hannah Montana. Where before she felt the need to declare Hannah Montana “dead,” claiming she “killed her,” now she was giving interviews saying, “Now I can be proud of all the Mileys that I’ve ever been instead of trying to run away from the 11-year-old one or feel like I’m not Hannah Montana. I am stoked that that was a part of my life.” 

Hemsworth and Cyrus married in 2018, after years of being on and off again, a decision Cyrus attributes to being a coping mechanism for trauma. Earlier that year, their Malibu home tragically burned to the ground in the California wildfires, destroying almost everything they had in that house. Cyrus explains that after having everything she had ever created – photos, song lyrics, journals, all her personal items – completely destroyed, the trauma of the fire caused her to lean into Hemsworth and bring them closer together. Ultimately though, the two had too much conflict to overcome, and they divorced after just eight months of marriage. 

Despite the shortsightedness of such a big decision, and though she’s written plenty of songs about why the marriage didn’t work out, she has maintained an admirable resilience. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Cyrus said, “I recently just went through a very public divorce that f—ing sucked. What really sucked about it wasn’t the fact that me and someone that I loved realized that we didn’t love each other the way we used to anymore. That’s ok, I can accept that. I can’t accept the villainizing. It’s just amazing to me that the public kind of thinks that there’s no gap of time that they didn’t see that could possibly be what led to this.”

The Talent Question

While Cyrus was making headlines for twerking in a bear costume, swinging naked on a wrecking ball, and everything else that came along with her edgier image, her music and vocals had never been better. Where before her talent was up for debate, now it was undeniable that she had a powerhouse voice and could command a stage. Bangerz is what we call a “no skips album.” Certified banger after banger. She only recently revealed she didn’t make a dime from her 2014 Bangerz tour, which was a huge hit and generated $70 million. She explained to British Vogue, “I didn’t make a dime on this tour because I wanted the tour to be excellent, and when everyone kept saying, ‘Why are you doing this? You’re going to make like 100 shows, and you’re not going to make any money,’ I said there’s no one I would rather invest in than myself, so I paid for it all to make sure it was exactly what I thought I and the fans deserve.” The shows involved eccentric costumes, elaborate sets, and a huge slide that saw her entering the stage, sliding down a tongue that extended from a huge printout of her own face. 

I recall seeing her perform live on talk shows during this era and being blown away, uncertain of exactly when her voice had developed into such beautiful, mature, crisp vocals or had such an impressive range that danced between a deep, low register and powerful, sustained high notes. Cyrus is a mezzo-soprano, giving her quite a flexible vocal range. This is when I became obsessed with Miley Cyrus. She had all the qualities that would draw me in – talent, an IDGAF attitude, and a villain story. There’s something about people who are universally hated that draws me to them. But there was not much to hate. She wrote beautiful songs about heartbreak, gave emotionally moving performances with stellar vocals, and used the few moments of recognition she got for awards to give the spotlight to someone else.

Then, the plot thickened. Cyrus released a series of covers she called “The Backyard Sessions.” Originally released in 2012, I admittedly didn’t come across them until two years later, when Miley’s face was plastered everywhere. Cyrus and her band would cover famous songs by other artists in her backyard and upload them to YouTube. The first batch of Backyard Sessions included Eartha Kitt’s “Lilac Wine,” Melanie Safka’s “Look What They’ve Done to My Song,” and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” The delightfully stripped-down covers garnered widespread praise for her moving, mature vocals and unique arrangements, especially Cyrus’ take on her godmother’s hit song “Jolene,” which went viral and has since become a staple cover that she’s performed numerous renditions of. People of all ages, backgrounds, and musical niches believe it to be the best version they’ve ever heard of the song, whether or not they’re even fans of Miley’s other music. 

Her second batch of Backyard Sessions covers launched through her Happy Hippy Foundation, a nonprofit she started that provides homeless, LGBTQ youth, and other vulnerable youth with support services, education, and employment opportunities in 2015. These covers featured other iconic artists like Joan Jett, Melanie Safka, and Laura Jane Grace. Cyrus has frequently covered older, legendary artist’s songs, always putting her own signature flair onto them to make them her own while paying respectful homage to the originals. Melanie Safka credited her videos with increasing her popularity with younger people. This would become a theme of Cyrus’ career, whether she’s covering Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” or Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.” For many of Cyrus’ younger fans, these were their first introductions to these musicians, which were often rock, country, or heavy metal.

Later that same year, Cyrus teamed up with Ariana Grande to cover “Don’t Dream It’s Over” by Crowded House, a classic which they nonchalantly performed while donning animal onesies and sitting on an inflatable couch outside. Grande’s beautifully gentle melodic riffs complemented Cyrus’ deep, almost baritone lower register perfectly. Five years would go by before seeing the return of her infamous Backyard Sessions, this time presented by MTV. Here, we see Cyrus at her best. She’s at her peak vocally, having developed a distinctive raspy sound as her voice has matured like a fine wine over the years. She touches songs you may instinctively think she has no business entertaining, like Pearl Jam’s “Just Breathe,” The Cardigans’ “Communication,” or The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane” – and then you listen to them and immediately recant any doubts you ever had. 

One of my favorite qualities is her fearlessness in daring to prove not only that she’s worthy of covering beloved songs from bands with sycophantic, pretentious, gatekeeping fanbases but in making them her own. Sometimes, she doesn’t diverge too far from the original song’s sound, while at other times, she drastically alters the arrangement, providing the song the opportunity to shine in a completely different light, like when she performed a more enunciated, bittersweet rendition of Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry” or when she played up Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” as a sultry rock song. When Cyrus does this, you see the comment section flooded with comments like “I never realized the meaning of this song until now” or “I feel like this is the first time I’m even hearing the words.”

One of her most audacious attempts was to win over the snobby crowd at the I Am the Highway Chris Cornell Tribute Show in 2019, a year and a half after he passed away. After an introduction by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard drew confused and skeptical reactions from the Cornell fans in attendance, perhaps even undertaking a hostile air in the room (some comments online claim she got booed when her name was announced), she quickly won over the crowd with her performance of Temple of the Dog’s “Say Hello 2 Heaven.” She had already played Cornell’s “Two Drink Minimum” earlier in the night, a raw, emotional performance that showcased her ability to stir things in your soul. It was “Say Hello 2 Heaven,” however, that rocked the house down, earning the respect of the audience, who were cheering for her by the end. Cyrus’ Joplinesque rasp, belts, low notes, and faithful cover of the song, equipped with all of Cornell’s original ad-libs and avoiding deviating from the traditional sound, is always such a moving watch for me. In the comments of the performance, people in attendance admit that they were ready to hate on her but were left blown away by her talent, with some even brought to tears. One commenter says, “I’ve never witnessed public opinion of an artist undergo such a monumental 180 as in this performance. Kudos to Miley.”

Miley Cyrus has consistently produced such mind-blowing covers of classic rock songs that there are countless listicles ranking them in order of quality – though, to be fair, there are far too many to condense into a listicle. In recent years, she’s gone viral for her renditions of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” and Blondie’s “Heart of Glass.” One of her most underrated recent covers is “Doll Parts” by Hole. 

Though strange music videos consisting of antics like licking sledgehammers and other bizarre gimmicks were the name of her game around 2013 to 2014, she has since re-invented herself seven-fold. Cyrus practically invented the concept of “eras,” and she doesn’t do it half-assed, either. When she embarks on a new era, she becomes physically and musically unrecognizable. These days, Cyrus sets herself apart from her contemporaries by her utter lack of gimmicks. Her performances are characterized by a very minimalist stage design, placing her vocals as the focal point. Noticeably absent are choreographed dance routines, giant set pieces, or any other distractions, yet she always delivers a captivating, high-energy show. Miley Cyrus has an impeccable stage presence, so it’s no wonder her performances go viral so often despite their simplicity.

Pop Star or Rock Star? Whatever She Is, She’s an Icon

Miley Cyrus got her start in pop music, and while she hasn’t given that up, she has deviated from her roots to produce a country album with Younger Now and a rock album with Plastic Hearts. Recently, she’s teased a Metallica cover album, which has yet to come to fruition, but she has performed “Nothing Else Matters” with Metallica. Cyrus’ flirtation with rock music has to do with her father’s musical influence, having raised her on a steady musical diet of who she refers to as “the greats,” which explains why she was covering Nirvana, Joan Jett, and The Runaways to a crowd of Hannah Montana fans at her concerts as a teenager. Now that is truly iconic. After covering so many rock songs and collaborating with rock artists, many fans were begging for a full-blown rock album, and boy, did she deliver.  

Released in November 2020, Plastic Hearts is the defining album of her career. It’s the pinnacle of her versatility, clever lyricism, and ability to hold her own on tracks with stars like Billy Idol and Stevie Nicks. Despite being the highest-quality album of her career and a fan favorite, it earned no critical recognition at the Grammys. Cyrus has explained she often makes two kinds of albums – one that’s for her (the kind of music she wants to make) and one that’s essentially a job. It would take 18 years for her to win her first Grammy in 2024 for her hit single “Flowers” from her most recent album, Endless Summer Vacation. One comment on a video upload of the performance on YouTube acknowledges her exceptional stage presence, “The fact that she is singing and interacting with the audience at the same time, interpreting the song and even doing a little choreography while doing all of this seems very natural: a legend.”

Regrets, I’ve Had a Few

Cyrus has repeatedly spoken about regrets throughout her career, and this is where I think she offers the most insight into her intriguing thought process. For a former child star who rose to fame out of the Disney machine, she’s done pretty well for herself, not just in career success but psychologically. Listening to her speak thoughtfully for just a few minutes, reflecting on the choices and mistakes she’s made throughout her career, will have you desperate for more in the form of a full-length podcast. She has a way of articulating complex thoughts that is quite honestly highly unusual for someone in her position. I highly recommend watching her appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, where she touches on nepotism, feeling guilt about how fortunate she is, the reason why her voice sounds like that, her relationship with the media, and her sobriety.

Despite being one of the best voices and performers of her generation, her tour schedule has been unusually sparse since Bangerz, with the star outright avoiding touring. In an interview with British Vogue, she explained how the demands of performing at a certain level of intensity and excellence require an equal amount of recovery and rest and that constantly being in a state of subject and observer isn’t healthy for her. “There’s a level of ego that has to play a part that I feel gets overused when I’m on tour. And once that switch is on, it’s hard to turn it off. I think when you’re training your ego every single night to be active, that’s the hardest switch for me to turn off,” she said. “Having every day the relationship between you and other humans being subject and observer isn’t healthy for me because it erases my humanity and my connection, and without my humanity, my connection, I can’t be a songwriter, which is my priority.”

This is something she spoke about on Joe Rogan’s podcast – how becoming educated about her voice as an instrument has transformed her process, especially after being diagnosed with Reinke’s edema, an inflammatory disorder that causes swelling of the vocal cords. She required vocal surgery in 2019, and this resulted in her newfound sobriety. She also looked at the process of being a singer more like an athlete who needs to train and rest their voice. Cyrus attributes her distinct, weathered, grisly voice to an abuse of the vocal cords from many years of yapping into the late hours of the night and smoking a lot, all while avoiding resting her voice. When she was Hannah Montana, she wasn’t taught any of this. There wasn’t any rest. She was working 13-hour days from the age of 12 or 13 years old and expected to be a workhorse for years of her childhood.

Closing Thoughts

Miley Cyrus is a controversial pop star, but one thing she isn’t is untalented or stupid. While she can hardly escape the raunchy years that have come to define her career, she has spent a lot of time distancing herself from them, and though she attempted to embrace a more wholesome, down-to-earth persona, it felt like her least authentic era and resulted in waning popularity for her career. If you have any doubts about her place in the culture, I urge you to watch her performances and listen to her covers. Even if her music isn’t your cup of tea (take your medication if so), she has a one-of-a-kind voice that’s shaping up to be one of the most unique to come out of the industry. Her playful performances, commitment to constantly evolving, and sheer audacity are at least deserving of respect.

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