About Miley Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus[3] (born November 23, 1992) is an American pop[2] singer, songwriter and television and film actress who rose to fame after starring as the title character in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. Following the success of Hannah Montana, a soundtrack CD was released in October 2006 featuring Cyrus on eight songs from the show. Cyrus's solo music career began with the release of her debut album, Meet Miley Cyrus on June 23, 2007, which included her first top ten single, "See You Again". Cyrus's second album, Breakout, released on July 22, 2008, was her first album independent of the Hannah Montana franchise. Both albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200.[4] Cyrus's first extended play, The Time of Our Lives, was released on August 28, 2009. The lead single from the EP, "Party in the U.S.A.", became Cyrus's highest charting and Hollywood Records's fastest selling single, reaching number two in the Billboard Hot 100 and the top ten in various nations.

In 2008, Cyrus appeared in the Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert film. Cyrus also starred in Bolt in 2008, and recorded "I Thought I Lost You" for the soundtrack, earning her a Golden Globe nomination. She starred in the film spin-off of Hannah Montana, titled Hannah Montana: The Movie, which was released on April 10, 2009. In 2008, Cyrus was listed in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World.[5] Forbes magazine ranked her #35 on the "Celebrity 100" list for earning $25 million in 2008.[6] Her rank improved to #29 in 2009.
Cyrus was born in Nashville, Tennessee as Destiny Hope Cyrus[8][9] on November 23, 1992,[10] to parents Leticia "Tish" (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.[8] Cyrus has five siblings. Her elder siblings Trace and Brandi Cyrus are Tish's children from a previous relationship, whom Billy Ray adopted when they were very young.[11] Trace is a vocalist and guitarist for the electronic pop band Metro Station,[12] while Brandi has played guitar for Cyrus's concerts and formed a band with The Secret Life of the American Teenager star Megan Park.[13] Cyrus also has an older half-brother, Christopher Cody, from her father's previous relationship,[14] as well as a younger brother, Braison, and a younger sister, Noah, who is also an actress.[14] She is the granddaughter of Democratic politician Ron Cyrus. Cyrus chose the name "Ronnie" for her character in the 2010 film The Last Song in honor of her grandfather.[15]

Cyrus's parents named her Destiny Hope because they believed that she would accomplish great things.[8] She was nicknamed "Smiley", later shortened to "Miley", because she kept smiling as a baby.[8] She is of part Cherokee descent.[16] Cyrus attended Heritage Middle School, where she was a cheerleader.[citation needed] She currently attends school at Options For Youth Charter Schools[17] and studies with a private tutor on the set of her TV show.[18] Cyrus grew up on her parents' farm outside of Nashville where she regularly attended the People's Church.[19][20]

Career
2001–2005: Early work
Cyrus became interested in acting when she was nine, and took classes at the Armstrong Acting Studio while her family lived in Toronto, Canada.[21] Her early career was marked by minor roles, the first of which was playing a girl named Kylie on her father's television series Doc.[9][8] In 2003, Cyrus was credited under her birth name for her role as "Young Ruthie" in Tim Burton's Big Fish. Dolly Parton, Miley's godmother,[22] advised Cyrus's mother to sign Cyrus with Morey Management Group, which The Hollywood Reporter said "was the best advice she could [have gotten] on who should rep her daughter". The group's leader, Jim Morey, and his son, Jason, began co-managing Cyrus's career alongside Tish Cyrus.[23]

When Cyrus was twelve, she auditioned for the role of "best friend" in a Disney Channel television show about a "secret pop star".[24] Disney Channel executives at first judged her to be too young, but Cyrus's persistence resulted in her being called back for further auditions. She eventually auditioned for the lead role, Zoe Stewart. When she won the role, the character's name was changed to Miley Stewart. According to Disney Channel president Gary Marsh, Cyrus was chosen because of her energetic and lively performance and was seen as a person who "loves every minute of life,"[25] with the "everyday relatability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain."[19] Cyrus had tried for several years to lose her Southern accent, but Disney decided to include it in the storyline. Later, Cyrus had to audition her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, for the role of the main character's father.[26] The show focuses on adolescence while incorporating a "secret identity" aspect to the storylines.Hannah Montana first aired on March 24, 2006 in the United States and averaged more than 4 million viewers per episode. As of 2009, the series is in its third season on Disney Channel with plans for a fourth and final season in March 2010.[27]

As the star of Hannah Montana, Cyrus became popular with children and teenagers, leading to a successful career in music. Her recording debut was on April 4, 2006, when the fourth edition of DisneyMania was released. Cyrus sang a cover of James Baskett's "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," originally from the 1946 animated film Song of the South. On October 24 the same year, Walt Disney Records released the first Hannah Montana soundtrack. Of the nine tracks on the album performed by Cyrus, eight were credited to Hannah Montana and one, a duet with Billy Ray Cyrus titled "I Learned from You", was credited to Cyrus as herself. The album debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 and sold 281,000 copies in its first week, beating such artists as John Legend and rock band My Chemical Romance.[28] Cyrus, as Hannah Montana, opened for The Cheetah Girls on their The Party's Just Begun Tour. She performed at 20 dates of their 39-city tour, beginning on September 15, 2006.[29] On June 26, 2007, Cyrus released a double album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus. The first disc was a second Hannah Montana soundtrack, while the second disc was Cyrus's first solo album credited to herself. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 326,000 copies, selling faster in its first week than the previous Hannah Montana soundtrack.[30] It was certified Platinum three times by the RIAA after selling more than 3 million copies in the US.[31] Cyrus voiced the recurring character Yatta on the Disney Channel animated series The Emperor's New School. She had a cameo appearance in High School Musical 2 which premiered August 17, 2007; She danced beside a pool in the movie's closing number and was credited as "girl at pool".


Cyrus performing during the Best of Both Worlds Tour.Cyrus's first headlining tour, the Best of Both Worlds Tour, lasted from October 18, 2007 to January 31, 2008 with 69 concerts across the United States. She performed both as herself and as Hannah Montana. The Jonas Brothers were the opening act for most of the tour.[32] Tour tickets for each date sold out in record time.[33] The tour was recorded and released to theaters as a concert film in Disney Digital 3-D. Walt Disney Records/Hollywood Records released the film's soundtrack on March 11, 2008. It peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.On July 2008, Cyrus released her second studio album under her own name, entitled Breakout. Cyrus said Breakout was inspired by "what's been going on in my life in the past year."[35] Cyrus co-wrote eight out of twelve songs on the album.[35] "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."[36] The album debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with a first week sales of about 371,000 copies. As of July 31, 2008, this was the second-biggest sales week of the year for a female artist; Mariah Carey's E=MC² previously sold 463,000 copies in its first week.[4] "7 Things" was the first single to be released from Breakout and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.[37][38] She hosted the 2008 CMT Music Awards with her father in April.[39] In 2008, Cyrus hosted the Teen Choice Awards.[40]

Cyrus provided the voice of Penny in the 2008 computer-animated feature film, Bolt, about a television star dog on his quest to find his owner. Cyrus co-wrote and recorded one of the two original songs on the soundtrack of Bolt, which features her Bolt co-star John Travolta. Titled "I Thought I Lost You", it was later nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.[41] Cyrus again played the title role in the Hannah Montana film spin-off, Hannah Montana: The Movie which was released on April 10, 2009. The film is about Stewart returning to her country roots and deciding which life to choose, her own normal life or as pop star Hannah Montana. Her single, "The Climb" from the movie's soundtrack peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming her highest charting single since "See You Again" and "7 Things" which charted at #10 and #9 respectively; later "Party in the U.S.A." charted at # 2.[38] The movie's soundtrack became the third album under the franchise to take the lead of the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA.[42]


Cyrus at the premiere for Hannah Montana: The Movie in April 2009.In June 2009, Cyrus changed her TV and movie career representation from United Talent Agency to Creative Artists Agency, which had already represented her for music.[43] Also in June, Cyrus began filming her upcoming movie The Last Song, based on a novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, in which she plays a rebellious teenage girl who spends a summer with her estranged father at his home in a quiet beach town.[44] The film was conceived as a "star vehicle" with the intention of introducing Cyrus to older audiences.[45] Cyrus recorded a song with the Jonas Brothers titled "Before the Storm" for their fourth studio album Lines, Vines and Trying Times. She also launched another Hannah Montana soundtrack (for the third season), titled Hannah Montana 3 on July 7, 2009.


Cyrus sits in make-up on the set of The Last Song. Cyrus's role was imagined as a way to introduce her to older audiences."Party in the U.S.A." was officially released to radio on July 29, 2009.[46] The song is from a Wal-Mart exclusive EP entitled The Time of Our Lives which released on August 31, 2009.[47] It was released as promotion for Cyrus's clothing line. The song made it to number one on Hot Digital Songs with 226,000 paid downloads, making her the youngest artist to top the chart, which led its big debut on the Billboard Hot 100, where it was placed at number two, topping "The Climb" (that peaked at number four).[38][48] The song thereby became the "fastest breaking single in Hollywood Records' history."[49]

Cyrus announced her 2009 North American Tour. The tour began on September 14, 2009 in Portland, Oregon and spanned 45 dates across North America. Eventually, additional dates were announced for the United Kingdom making the tour change names to the Wonder World Tour. The tour featured the band Metro Station as a special guest.[50] Tickets went on sale to the general public on June 13, 2009 and for the UK dates on June 12, 2009.[51] In July 2009, Disney acquired the film rights to Aprilynne Pike's novel Wings, in which Cyrus is expected to star.[52] In early December 2009, Cyrus performed her hits "See You Again", "The Climb" and "Party in the U.S.A." at the Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball at London's The O2 arena.[53] 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, along with fellow American pop singer Lady GaGa.[54] In December, Timbaland released his album, Shock Value II, which features a track with Cyrus called "We Belong to the Music". Cyrus was ranked number four on Billboard's list of the Top Female Artists of 2009, above artists such as Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson.[55]

In late 2009, Cyrus recorded a cover of the Poison song Every Rose Has Its Thorn in collaboration with Bret Michaels. The track was produced by John Shanks.[56][57] Cyrus plans to take a break from recording music after releasing her next album in hopes of developing an "edgier" sound.[58]

2010 onwards: The Last Song
As of February 2010, Cyrus's movie, The Last Song is scheduled for a release on March 31, 2010.[59] Shooting for the fourth season of Hannah Montana began January 18, 2010,[60] with this upcoming fourth season to be its last. The artist is set to do more music for 2010, and also more movies in 2010 and 2011, it is rumored that she will be doing LOL: Laugh Out Loud with Demi Moore and Sid Curtis, Wings for Walt Disney Productions, and a film Girls Just Want To Have Fun.[61][62][63]

Entrepreneurship
Cyrus became a spokesperson for Daisy Rock Guitars in 2004, when she was presented with her first Daisy Rock guitar — the Stardust Series Acoustic Electric Pink Sparkle.[64] Disney released a Hannah Montana clothing collection in late summer 2007. Cyrus helped to design some of the pieces from the collection.[65] In December 2007, she was ranked #17 in the list of Forbes Top Twenty Superstar Earners under 25 with an annual earning of US$3.5 million.[66] A wax figure of Cyrus was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in New York City.[67] In April 2008, Cyrus signed a contract to pen an autobiography reflecting on her life up to the age of 16. The memoir, called Miles To Go was written with Hilary Liftin[68] and was published by Disney-Hyperion Books in March 2009. The memoir discusses Cyrus's relationship with her father, her thoughts on the media, her love life, her future ambitions, and milestones she still has to reach in her life.[1] Miles to Go reached #1 on the New York Times children’s best seller list.[69] An initial printing run of one million copies of Miles to Go is planned.[70]

In August 2009, Cyrus teamed with Max Azria to create a line of junior and girls' separates available only at Walmart.[71] Cyrus's released her EP The Time of Our Lives in conjunction with the line and Walmart dedicated a page to the designers.[72] The line consists of vests, tie-dye tank tops, dresses, and plaids. Critics claimed the clothes were "completely inoffensive but totally snoozeworthy"[73] and "benign",[71] but admitted that "it's the generic that sells, regardless of whether it has Hannah Montana's name on it" and predicted they would be high sellers.[71]

Philanthropy
Cyrus celebrated her 16th birthday with a charity fundraiser at Disneyland, which was closed early for the event attended by 5,000 fans at $250 per ticket.[74] The proceeds went to the charity Youth Service America, a youth volunteering organization.[75][76][77] Ten outstanding youth volunteers from Youth Service America were invited to attend,[78] and later in the evening, Cyrus presented a $1 million check to the organization.[79] In 2007, Cyrus made a large contribution to the City of Hope, giving $1 for every "Hannah Montana" concert ticket sold. She said that "the cool thing about being a part of City of Hope is that they are a cancer research center. They're not only helping kids that are there, but also finding out how they can heal them by figuring out what exactly is going on, which is amazing."[80]

Cyrus has lent her musical talents to several charity benefits. Cyrus collaborated with fourteen other female singers to record a charity single titled "Just Stand Up!", which the singers performed live during a one-hour primetime event for the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer on September 5, 2008.[81] On September 14, 2008, Cyrus, along with other performers, performed at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California for the City of Hope Benefit Concert to help raise money for cancer research and training programs.[82] In 2010, Cyrus appeared on a charity benefit single organised by Simon Cowell in an attempt to raise money for victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.[83] It is a cover of the song "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. and was released digitally in the UK on February 7.

Cyrus is involved in Disney's Friends for Change, an organization which promotes environmentally friendly behavior, and appears in the service's public service announcements to raise awareness for the cause on the Disney Channel.[84] In addition, she joined fellow Disney stars Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and the Jonas Brothers, to record "Send It On", a charity single which serves as the theme song for Disney's Friends for Change. "Send it On" debuted on the Hot 100 at number twenty.[85][86] Disney will direct 100% of the proceeds from "Send it On" to environmental charities through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF).[85]

Personal life

Cyrus with dancers Ashlee Nino and best friend, Mandy Jiroux.Cyrus suffers from a mild heart condition causing tachycardia. In her autobiography, Miles to Go, Cyrus writes, "There is never a time onstage when I'm not thinking about my heart".[1] In January 2008, Cyrus announced her intent to officially change her name to "Miley Ray Cyrus," her middle name reflecting that of her father.[87] The name change became official on May 1, 2008.[3] In an interview with USA Today, Cyrus was quoted as saying her faith is "the main thing" and is the reason why she works in Hollywood.[88] When interviewed by Parade, she added that she attends church regularly with her family.[26] In an interview with Christianity Today, Billy Ray Cyrus said, "Being Christian, we believe in heaven," and "We also had a great church, and when you give up your church, your pastor, and the community you are involved in, you're making a big sacrifice. Let's face it, Hollywood is a completely different environment than Franklin, Tennessee."[89]

In February 2008, Cyrus and her friend Mandy Jiroux (who is also a backup dancer for Cyrus) began creating videos on YouTube called The Miley and Mandy Show. The show, described as a "YouTube hit," is said to be filmed for fun by Cyrus and Jiroux and to be entirely their work, with Cyrus and Jiroux editing the footage together. It is filmed mainly in Cyrus's bedroom.[90] Cyrus was also popular on the social networking site Twitter; her site was watched by approximately 2 million Twitter users in addition to the general public when she deleted it on October 8, 2009.[91][92] In the September 2008 issue of Seventeen, Cyrus stated she had been in a relationship with Nick Jonas for two years, and that they "were in love". They broke up at the end of 2007.[93] In June 2009, Cyrus ended a nine month long relationship with Nashville Star contestant and model Justin Gaston.[94]

Controversies
Vanity Fair photos
On April 25, 2008, the televised entertainment program Entertainment Tonight reported that Cyrus had posed topless for a photoshoot with Vanity Fair.[95] The photo, and subsequently released behind-the-scenes photos, show Cyrus with her bare back exposed but her front covered with a bedsheet. The photoshoot was taken by photographer Annie Leibovitz.[96] The full photograph was published with an accompanying story on The New York Times' website on April 27, 2008. On April 29, 2008, The New York Times clarified that though the pictures left an impression that she was bare-breasted, Cyrus was wrapped in a bedsheet and was actually not topless.[97] Some parents expressed outrage at the nature of the photograph, which a Disney spokesperson described as "a situation [that] was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines." Gary Marsh, president of entertainment for Disney Channel Worldwide, was quoted by Portfolio magazine to have said, “For Miley Cyrus to be a ‘good girl’ is now a business decision for her. Parents have invested in her a godliness. If she violates that trust, she won’t get it back.”[97] Branding consultants John Tantillo and Michael Stone appeared on Fox Business News to discuss possible repercussions for Cyrus's brand and her best marketing strategy going forward.[98]

In response to the Internet circulation of the photo and ensuing media attention, Cyrus released a statement of apology on April 27, 2008: "I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."[97] Leibovitz also released a statement: "I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful."[97][99] On April 28, 2008, Vanity Fair published their full interview and photo shoot with Cyrus and her father Billy Ray Cyrus, as well as the behind-the-scenes photographs, on their website.[100] According to the interview, Cyrus's parents or minders were present during the entire duration of the photo shoot. The idea to pose with the sheets on was suggested by Leibovitz. When asked if she was "anxious" about the pose, Cyrus stated to interviewer Bruce Handy: "No, I mean I had a big blanket on. And I thought, this looks pretty, and really natural. I think it's really artsy. It wasn't in a skanky way.... And you can't say no to Annie. She's so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you're like, okay."[100] On December 2, 2008, TV Guide reported that Cyrus is interested in working with Leibovitz again in the future and is even considering a career in photography for herself, "That's what I want to do with my life. I would love to be a photographer... I want to come to London to study. I hear there are some great art schools here so I would love to do that."[101]


Cyrus used a luggage cart in her Wonder World Tour due to claims that the ice-cream cart used in the 2009 Teen Choice Awards had a dance pole attached to it.2009 Teen Choice Awards performance
Main article: Party in the U.S.A.#Live performances
Cyrus's performance of "Party in the U.S.A." at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards on August 10 incited controversy.[102][103][104] Critics of the performance complained that she danced provocatively alongside a dance pole that was on top of an ice-cream pushcart, and that another part of the performance seemed to poke fun at American culture.[103][104][105][106] Some drew negative comparisons to Britney Spears, though Cyrus herself welcomed comparisons to the former teen pop star.[105][107] Others defended Cyrus, arguing that still images of the performance made it seem more lewd than it actually was, and opining that the ensuing controversy took the focus away from the six awards she won that night.[108] Others observed that Cyrus already had a risque image, and sought to broaden her appeal to audiences, with the performance a part of her transition into an entertainer for older audiences, much as had been observed years earlier with Britney Spears.[109] Cyrus's label, Hollywood Records, and The Walt Disney Company, which produces Hannah Montana, offered no comment on the performance, though Disney asserted that all performances on the Disney Channel are appropriate for children age 6 – 14.[110][111] The Fox Network, which broadcast the awards, also offered no comment, other than to confirm that the performance would be included in its broadcast of the ceremony.