Miley Ray Cyrus, born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992, in Franklin, Tennessee, has established herself as a pop icon recognized for her continuous artistic evolution and frequent image reinventions. The daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and Leticia “Tish” Jean Cyrus, her early life was marked by her parents’ belief that she would achieve great things, leading to her birth name, Destiny Hope. Her childhood nickname, “Smiley,” later shortened to “Miley,” foreshadowed a public persona characterized by vibrant expression. In 2008, she legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus, honoring her grandfather, Ronald Ray Cyrus.
Cyrus’s journey into entertainment began at an early age, influenced by her family’s move to Toronto, Canada, in 2001, where her father filmed the television series *Doc*. It was after attending a 2001 Mirvish production of *Mamma Mia!* with her father that a young Miley, then eight, declared, “This is what I want to do, daddy. I want to be an actress.” This pivotal moment led her to pursue singing and acting lessons at the Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto, laying the groundwork for her future career.
Her first acting role was as Kylie in her father’s television series *Doc*, followed by a credit as “Young Ruthie” in Tim Burton’s 2003 film *Big Fish*. A significant turning point arrived when she auditioned for the Disney Channel television series *Hannah Montana* at thirteen. Initially deemed “too small and too young” for the lead role, her comedic performance and vocal abilities ultimately secured her the title character.
The series premiered in March 2006 to the largest audience for a Disney Channel program, quickly becoming one of the highest-rated shows on basic cable. This immediate success propelled Cyrus into the spotlight, establishing her as a teen idol. The show’s first soundtrack, released in October 2006, topped the Billboard 200 chart and sold over three million copies worldwide, solidifying her position as the first act within The Walt Disney Company to secure deals across television, film, consumer products, and music.
Transitioning beyond her Disney persona, Cyrus signed a four-album deal with Hollywood Records for her non-*Hannah Montana* music. Her debut studio album, *Meet Miley Cyrus*, was released in June 2007 as the second disc of *Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus*. This album also reached the top of the Billboard 200 and sold over three million copies. The lead single, “See You Again” (2007), became a commercial success, selling over two million copies in the United States.
Cyrus embarked on the highly successful Best of Both Worlds Tour (2007–08), which saw unprecedented demand, with Ticketmaster officials commenting that “there [hadn’t] been a demand of this level or intensity since The Beatles or Elvis.” The tour’s popularity led to the theatrical release of the 3D concert film *Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert* in 2008, which extended its limited run due to its success.
As her public profile grew, so did scrutiny. In April 2008, pictures of Cyrus in her underwear and swimsuit were leaked online following a hack of her Gmail account. Further controversy arose when reports surfaced that the then-15-year-old Cyrus had posed topless for an Annie Leibovitz photo shoot for *Vanity Fair*. *The New York Times* later clarified that while the shot gave the impression of bare-breastedness, she was, in fact, wrapped in a bed sheet and not topless.
Despite the early controversies, Cyrus continued her musical endeavors, releasing her second studio album, *Breakout*, in June 2008. The album achieved the highest first-week sales of her career at the time and became her third to top the Billboard 200. Concurrently, she ventured into film animation, starring alongside John Travolta in *Bolt* (2008), for which she also co-wrote the song “I Thought I Lost You,” earning a Golden Globe Award nomination.
In March 2009, “The Climb,” a single from the *Hannah Montana* feature film soundtrack, emerged as a crossover hit, embraced by both pop and country audiences. The soundtrack became her fourth entry to top the Billboard 200, making her, at 16, the youngest artist in history to achieve four number-one albums on the chart. That same year, she launched her first fashion line through Walmart and released the EP *The Time of Our Lives*, featuring the enduring hit “Party in the U.S.A.,” which she described as “a transitioning album.” Her first world tour, the Wonder World Tour (2009), was both a critical and commercial success, concluding with a performance for Queen Elizabeth II in December 2009. Billboard recognized her as the fourth best-selling female music artist of 2009.
By 2010, Cyrus aimed to foster a more mature image. She starred in the film *The Last Song*, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, which, despite negative critical reviews, was a box office success. Her third studio album, *Can’t Be Tamed* (2010), featured a dance-oriented sound and generated significant controversy due to its lyrical content and her live performances. It marked her first studio album not to top the Billboard 200. Later that year, a video surfaced online showing the then-eighteen-year-old smoking salvia with a bong, adding to public scrutiny.
Following the fulfillment of her *Hannah Montana* obligations, Cyrus announced a hiatus from music to concentrate on her acting career, confirming she would not be attending college. She hosted *Saturday Night Live* in March 2011, playfully addressing her recent controversies. While she was initially cast as Mavis in the animated film *Hotel Transylvania*, she was later replaced, a decision initially attributed to her desire to focus on music but later revealed to be linked to a controversial birthday cake incident involving her then-boyfriend, Liam Hemsworth.
Cyrus continued her foray into acting, appearing in the independent film *LOL* (2012) alongside Demi Moore, which experienced a limited release and was both a critical and commercial failure. She also starred in the comedy film *So Undercover* as an undercover FBI agent. During this period, she launched her *Backyard Sessions* on YouTube, featuring live performances of classic songs she enjoyed.
A notable personal image transformation occurred when Cyrus dramatically cut her long, brown hair into a blonde pixie cut. She stated, “I had never felt more [myself] in [my] whole life” and that “it really changed [her] life.” This period marked a distinct shift in her public persona, signaling a new chapter of self-expression.
In 2013, Cyrus signed with RCA Records and collaborated with producers such as Pharrell Williams and Mike Will Made-It, leading to a hip hop-influenced sound for her fourth studio album. Collaborations with artists like Snoop Lion, will.i.am, Lil Twist, and Mike Will Made It showcased her evolving musical direction. Her single “23” with Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J peaked at number eleven on the Hot 100, selling over one million copies.
The release of “We Can’t Stop” in June 2013 was touted as her comeback single, achieving global commercial success and topping charts in territories like the United Kingdom. Its music video set a Vevo record for most views within twenty-four hours and was the first to reach 100 million views on the platform. This era culminated in her controversial performance with Robin Thicke at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, featuring simulated sex acts that garnered widespread media attention and criticism.
On the same day as the VMAs, Cyrus released “Wrecking Ball” as the second single from *Bangerz*. The accompanying music video, which featured her swinging naked on a wrecking ball, amassed over nineteen million views within 24 hours. The video drew criticism, including from fellow singer Sinéad O’Connor, who remarked that Cyrus would “obscure [her] talent by allowing [herself] to be pimped.” Despite the controversy, “Wrecking Ball” became Cyrus’s first single to top the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., holding the number-one spot for three weeks and selling over two million copies.
Her fourth studio album, *Bangerz*, released in October 2013, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 270,000 copies in its first week. MTV named her Artist of the Year in late 2013. In January 2014, she performed an acoustic concert on *MTV Unplugged*, featuring Madonna, which became the highest-rated *MTV Unplugged* in a decade. She also launched her *Bangerz Tour* (2014), a critically acclaimed but controversial tour that faced a brief interruption due to her hospitalization for an allergic reaction.
Reports in 2015 indicated Cyrus was working on two albums, one of which she aimed to release for free. Her manager confirmed her willingness to terminate her contract with RCA Records if they opposed the free release. As the host of the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, Cyrus made history as its first openly pansexual host. During the finale, she gave a surprise performance of a new song, “Dooo It!,” immediately announcing that her fifth studio album, *Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz* (2015), was available for free streaming on SoundCloud. This experimental album, primarily written and produced by Cyrus, incorporated elements of psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock, and alternative pop.
