Miley Cyrus (2 page)

Prior to the new album’s release, Miley has been the talk of the town due to her antics. She twerked. She gave the foam finger a whole new meaning. She posed nude. She was featured on an MTV documentary as well as a Rolling Stone feature.

Others may just see it as a Disney princess losing control, but Miley thinks otherwise. She actually sees this as her freedom from her former image.

Miley and Twerking

Together with Miley’s new image comes a new word that’s added up on everybody’s vocabulary – twerking.

Twerking is defined as a type of dancing wherein the dancer – most often a woman – bends over and shakes her hips in a bouncing motion. Consequently, the dancer’s buttocks wobble, shake, and jiggle. This accompanied by sticking out the tongue in a sexually explicit manner.

Another definition is given by the Oxford Dictionary, which defines twerking as dancing in a sexually provocative manner that involves thrusting hip movements as well as a low, squatting stance.

Twerking is something that has recently been associated with Miley Cyrus.  It has caused quite a controversy, as some people love it and some people hate it.

Twerking and MTV

People may have been expecting a lively performance by Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke, but the performance proved otherwise – it was beyond controversial, and it was a scene that will stick in many people’s minds for a long time.

The performance was made on the 25
th
of August, 2013, and it made many people’s eyes pop due to the extreme performance they had seen. Yes, the MTV Video Music Awards are known to showcase outrageous performances, but this took it to outrageous new heights.

Miley Cyrus twerked on Robin Thicke and here’s what happened.

Miley stepped out on the stage wearing a fuzzy gray leotard. The song
“We Can’t Stop” was playing while she performed. Even with her earlier dance moves, the audience could already see her departure from the wholesome image Hannah Montana had created – including a crotch move or two.

As the song was ending, Miley stripped down to show her latex underwear and started to sing “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke who wore a black and white pinstriped suit. To add to her outfit, Miley wore an oversized foam finger that would serve a particular “purpose” in her song number.

Miley made controversial movements using the foam finger, such as stroking it on parts that are, simply put, “private” parts. Afterwards, she bent down and started twerking. At that time, Robin also stood behind her, and the image was understandably the most controversial of the night.

But that wasn’t all.

Miley walked ahead of Robin, and put the foam finger between her legs—again, another controversial image.

Clearly, Miley’s actions created controversy. It has even become one of the most tweeted events of the 2013 year– her twerking incident produced 360,000 tweets per minute. She, however, stands by her performance, and says the public should not overthink the performance, and saying “…that’s just me.”

Her Family’s Reaction

Her family wasn’t at all affected by Miley’s performance at the VMAs. Her father even came to her defense, saying he still remains her dad and Miley’s still his little girl regardless of how the circus of show business turns out. He added that his love for Miley is constant and unconditional.

Billy Ray defended Miley even further when he sent a tweet saying everyone should have better things to talk about. Miley’s mother, Tish, was also very supportive of Miley.

Miley is also grateful for her parents’ acceptance. She said her parents always told her to be who she really is. She receives unconditional love from them, saying they love her no matter what; that’s what parents are supposed to do after all.

Bangerz

After the twerking incident comes Bangerz.

Miley’s most recent album, Bangerz, was released by RCA Records on the 8
th
of October, 2013. This album was planned in 2012 when Miley chose to reestablish her music career instead of completely focusing on her acting career.

In 2013, Miley continued her work; she left Disney-owned Hollywood Records and joined RCA Records instead.

There are thirteen songs included in Bangers, namely:


        
Adore You


        
We Can’t Stop


        
SMS (Bangerz)


        
4x4


        
My Darlin’


        
Wrecking Ball


        
Love Money Party


        
#GETITRIGHT


        
Drive


        
FU


        
Do My Thang


        
Maybe You’re Right


        
Someone Else

Bangerz is Miley’s fourth studio album. Miley described it as “dirty south hip-hop”; it represents her departure from her previous music styles. She sees Bangerz as her “debut” record for her post-Hannah Montana phase.

Through Bangerz, she wants her music to speak for her. According to Miley herself, the songs chronicle her relationship with Liam. From “Adore You” to “Someone Else,” she says there is an arc of growth, and the songs tell a story.

Miley’s New Sound

Miley wanted a completely new sound; she wanted it different compared to her previous albums. It’s Miley’s first album since she shaved her hair and adopted a new style.

Bangerz came out as a compilation of crass yet catchy pop songs created for the generation whose world revolves around hashtags and social media.
In this album, Miley shows how she’s currently trying to define who she is. The album shows Miley finding power in her sexuality while doing what she wants.

Many
may have seen Miley grow up, but her life’s not totally an open book – there are some Miley Cyrus facts not really known to the public.

For the Miley fanatics out there (and for the others as well), here are certain interesting details about Miley Cyrus.

Miley Cyrus has bad handwriting.

Yes, you’ve read that right. You’re not alone in that predicament. Miley Cyrus’ penmanship can’t be easily deciphered, and Miley solely blames her father for that.

Miley claims she’s really left-handed by nature, and is left-handed in everything she does. Her dad, being a leftie himself, forced her to use her right hand in writing so she doesn’t need to “learn the world backwards.”

You may only need to see her handwriting when you ask for her autograph, but if you don’t like what you see, then talk to her dad.

College has to be put on hold for now.

That doesn’t mean you should also put school on hold, Miley tells her fans. She has been very busy her whole, especially during her Hannah Montana days. At first, she had a private tutor, but later on, she decided not to continue her education and to just focus on her career.

She believes that she can always go back to school anytime, using her grandmother as an example, since she went back to school at age 62.

She has a heart condition.

Miley experiences a mild heart condition known as “tachycardia,” which means her heart rate when at rest exceeds the normal range.

It’s not really life-threatening, and Miley says it doesn’t really hurt her, but it does bother her at times.

She’s close to her Hannah Montana co-stars.

Mileys relationship with her former co-stars is great. It was Miley who taught co-star Emily Osment the basics of playing the guitar. In turn, Emily taught Miley how to knit. She sees Emily as a sister, Jason as a big brother, and Mitchel as the person who makes bad things seem simply funny.

Kelly Osbourne is her BFF.

What do Miley and Kelly Osbourne have in common? They both have musicians for fathers, although with very different styles. The two met during the shooting of “So Undercover” and have been close ever since.

When Miley faced the Bob Marley cake controversy in 2011, in which she said “You know you’re a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake.”

Kelly bravely stood up in defense of her friend.

Miley is an animal lover.

She’s such an animal lover, and she’s a proud pet parent to four dogs: Mary Jane, Floyd, Happy, and Bean. She even tweeted once that she’s so happy with her canine companions that she doesn’t feel the need to have human friends.

She’s a SpongeBob Squarepants fan.

She may have originated from Disney, but she loves this Nickelodeon character. She’s indeed proof that you can never really be too old to love cartoons. She even watched a SpongeBob marathon a few days after her engagement in early June.

Other “Basic” Facts

Her nickname – aside from her now legal name Miley – is “Sissy Joe,” and she stands 5’5” tall. To those astrology fanatics out there, you may have known that Miley’s a Sagittarius, and she was born in the year of the Monkey.

Today’s digital technology has permitted stardom to become a form of art. People can now easily follow a celebrity’s activities simply through social media. People can react to what that celebrity is up to in real time.

Since there’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, amongst other social media sites, everybody can express their opinions and speak their mind regarding Miley’s “drastic” changes.

Miley has grown up – everybody has seen that. Considering the years she’s been with Hollywood and show business, she has received more than her fair share of bashing and criticism. Social media has everybody expressing their minds. Everyone has their opinions.

More mature Miley

She’s still a “good” girl, though; and her family, friends, and fans love and adore her. Her maturity can be seen when she speaks of her mom, saying that her victory is also her mother’s – it’s not because Tish is her manager, but simply because she’s a great mother.

Yes, it can be hard to deal with family at times, but Miley manages to stay respectful regardless of her independence.

She has also learned from her mistakes, and according to her, when you stop making mistakes, that’s also the time when you stop learning.

Happy with her Identity

Miley is very different from the Hannah Montana people first knew. The Video Music Awards made that quite clear. Regardless of all of the various reactions, Miley is happy with the decisions she has made. All she wants is to be true to herself. She’s comfortable with her sexuality and she likes pushing the boundaries.

Aware of the price fame has to pay

She understands how hard it is to be famous. She lived in Philadelphia for a while, and described it as a “relief” since she could live life sort of as a regular person.             

Miley appreciates her privacy, but she is still active in various social networks. She has become skilled at juggling life as a celebrity and as a regular individual. She finds the time to interact regularly with her fans and the media, as well as making sure that she has time for herself.

She understands that she can’t stop people from talking about her, so she just does the best she can.

Miley simply grew up

Everybody’s path from childhood to adulthood is tricky. Teenagers are said to be in that “confused” stage, and during those times, they are looking for their identities.

A regular teenager encounters confusion from the media, social pressure from peers, and guidance from teachers and parents. The pressure on Miley from a young age has been very intense. It’s not easy when it seems the whole world is judging you.

Other child stars have disappeared from the limelight, especially when they’re in that “awkward” stage; the public only seeing them again once they’ve grown up. But in Miley’s case, the spotlight never really left her. From a young girl to an emerging adult, everybody had their eyes on her.

Being young simply means being given chances to try new things, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. It’s not entirely Miley’s fault that she was put on a pedestal for everyone to look up to, as if she can’t do anything wrong. She was a Disney kid, but she’s growing up and getting older – and learning from her mistakes.

Still Good Underneath

Miley is entitled to form her own identity. Yes, she has changed. She wants everybody to understand that celebrities are human too. She may have made some mistakes, but that she clearly has good intentions.

What’s more important to Miley is being a good person—not how people see and perceive you in front of a camera or on tv, but how you actually treat people in real life. She’s confident in saying that she treats people well, and that’s what matters to her.

With a personal fortune in excess of 120 million as of 2013, legions of loyal fans, good friends, and a good family, the future looks very bright for Miley. As long as she can avoid the temptation of hard drugs, she should be able to do whatever she wants and live happily ever after.