3 Iconic Miley Cyrus Reinventions That We Still Can’t Stop Thinking About

Skip to content With her latest album, Bass Persuades, Miley Cyrus, now known only as Miley, enters a new chapter, or in the lingo of pop stars, the next era. So while Cyrus offers dispatches from the dance floor, let’s revisit three of her best reinventions.

By 2010, Cyrus was distancing herself from the Disney-wholesomeness of Hannah Montana. Albums like Can’t Be Tamed (2010) and Bangerz (2013) presented fresh chapters in the pop star’s newfound freedom from teen-clean. Produced by Dr. Luke, “Party In The U.S.A.” arrived on the cusp of this transformation. Released in 2009, it peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and became Cyrus’s first pop masterpiece.

So hard with my girls not around me,It’s definitely not a Nashville party.’Cause all I see are stilettos,I guess I never got the memo.

Bangerz remains Cyrus’s best-selling album, buoyed by the singles “We Can’t Stop”, “Adore You”, and the colossal “Wrecking Ball”. Working again with Dr. Luke and producer Cirkut, a pile of songwriters crafted the hit. The sky-high chorus highlights Cyrus’s giant voice—a blend of husky lilt and Tennessee warmth. Hannah Montana wasn’t forgotten. But from here on out, few would think of the undercover Disney star first. Even before she dropped her last name, if you mentioned only “Miley”, most would know exactly who you were talking about.

I came in like a wrecking ball,Yeah, I just closed my eyes and swung.Left me crashing in a blazing fall,All you ever did was wreck me.

One of my favorite iterations of Cyrus is post-punk Miley. Her cover of Blondie’s “Heart Of Glass”, recorded at the 2020 iHeart Music Festival, finds her belting Debbie Harry with the rage of Kurt Cobain. You get the sense that reinvention is more than a pop marketing tool for Cyrus. Instead, it seems like part exploration, part evolution, with the punk spirit of an independent icon.

In between, what I find is pleasing, and I’m feeling fine,Love is so confusing; there’s no peace of mind.If I fear I’m losing you, it’s just no good,You’re teasing like you do.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation