Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus (born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, actress, and author. Cyrus is best known for starring as the title character in the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana.

Following the success of Hannah Montana, in October 2006, a soundtrack CD was released in which she sang eight songs from the show. Cyrus' 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". The song helped Cyrus' transition from Radio Disney to mainstream Top 40 radio success, and paved the way for many other Disney artists. Her second album, Breakout, was released on July 22, 2008. Breakout is Cyrus' first album that does not involve the Hannah Montana franchise. Both albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. In 2008 she released her 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 for which she earned 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 addition, she has recorded the main single, "The Climb", for the movie soundtrack. In 2008, Cyrus was listed in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in The World. Forbes magazine ranked her #35 on "The Celebrity 100" list with earnings over $25 million in 2008.

Early life

Cyrus was born in Nashville, Tennessee on November 23, 1992. She is the daughter of Leticia "Tish" (née Finley) and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. She has an older brother Trace, a vocalist and guitarist of an electronic rock band Metro Station. She has an older sister, Brandi. The two were Tish's children from a previous relationship, whom Billy Ray Cyrus adopted when they were very young. She also has an older half-brother, Christopher Cody, her father's son from a previous relationship, but she has not seen Christopher since November 2007 during her concert in Fort Worth, Texas. Cyrus also has a younger brother, Braison, and a younger sister, Noah, who is also an actress. Cyrus' parents named her Destiny Hope because her parents believed that she would accomplish great things. She was nicknamed "Miley" because she kept smiling ("Smiley") as a baby. She is of part Cherokee descent.

Cyrus attended Heritage Middle School, where she was a cheerleader, though now attends school at Options For Youth. She also has a private tutor on the set of her TV show.

Cyrus grew up on her parents' farm outside of Nashville, Tennessee where she regularly attended The People's Church.

Acting career

Miley Cyrus with her dog Roadie.

Cyrus became interested in acting at the age of nine, taking classes at the Armstrong Acting Studio in Toronto, Canada, when she and her family lived there for four years. Her first acting role was as a guest star on her father's television series Doc, in which she played a girl named Kylie. In 2003, she played "Young Ruthie" in Tim Burton's Big Fish and was credited as Destiny Cyrus. 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.

Disney career

Cyrus was 12 years old when she originally auditioned for Disney for the lead role of Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana, as well as the show's "best friend" roles, but Disney Channel executives judged her to be too small. However, Cyrus was persistent in her desire to be part of Hannah Montana, so Disney called her back for further auditions. According to Disney Channel Executive Vice President Gary Marsh, Cyrus was chosen for the show because of her energetic and lively performance and was seen as a person who "loves every minute of life", with the "everyday relatability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain". She spent several years trying to get rid of her Southern accent, but in the end Disney wanted her to revive it. Later, in an unusual twist, Cyrus had to audition her own father, Billy Ray Cyrus, for the role of Hannah's dad. Cyrus currently stars in Hannah Montana as the lead character Miley Stewart, whose alter ego is the pop music sensation Hannah Montana, while also performing in character as Hannah Montana for albums and concerts. In June 2009, Cyrus announced that the fourth season of Hannah Montana will be the last season in which she plays the title role.

As well as her success with the Hannah Montana Franchise, Cyrus had a brief cameo in High School Musical 2, in which she was credited as "girl at pool" and guest-starred as Yatta on the Disney Channel production The Emperor's New School. Cyrus provided the voice of Penny in the Template:Fy computer-animated feature film, Bolt.

Cyrus again played the title role in the Hannah Montana movie spin-off, Hannah Montana: The Movie which was released on April 10, 2009.

As of June 2009, Cyrus is scheduled to film her upcoming movie The Last Song, based on a novel 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. It is scheduled for release in 2010 and filming is expected to start from June 15-21, 2009. The Last Song was conceived as a "star vehicle" with the intention of introducing Cyrus to older audiences. In July 2009, Disney acquired the film rights to Aprilynne Pike's novel Wings, in which Cyrus is expected to star.

Music career

2006–2007

In 2006, the fourth edition of DisneyMania was released. On it, Cyrus made a cover of Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, from the 1946 animated movie Song of the South, originally performed by James Baskett. Later, Walt Disney Records released the first Hannah Montana soundtrack, on October 24, 2006. The soundtrack included eight of the songs that Cyrus performed as Hannah Montana and other artists include her father, Billy Ray Cyrus. The album debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling 281,000 copies in its first week, beating out such artists as John Legend and rock band My Chemical Romance. where it remained for two weeks. It was the eighth best selling album of 2006 in the U.S., with nearly two million copies sold that year. The album was later re-released twice  — a Holiday Edition featuring Cyrus' cover of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and a Special Edition featuring "Nobody's Perfect", the first appeared on 2007 album Disney Channel Holiday. Cyrus also opened for The Cheetah Girls, performing on 20 dates of their 39-city tour.

Once again, Cyrus recorded a remake version of a classic Disney song "Part of Your World" for DisneyMania fifth edition. On June 26, 2007, Cyrus released a double album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus. The first disc served as the second Hannah Montana soundtrack, while the second disc was Cyrus' debut solo album as herself. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 326,000 copies, selling faster in its first week than the previous soundtrack. On the strength of holiday season sales, the album returned and remained in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 in December on the strength of holiday season sales, and sold more than 700,000 copies during that period. The album, having sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S was certified three times Platinum by RIAA. The album had five of its songs debut on the Billboard Hot 100, "See You Again" peaked at #10, which also become Cyrus' first song to enter the top ten on the Hot 100.

Cyrus playing a keyboard in a concert.

Cyrus performed both as herself and in character as Hannah Montana on a North American Best of Both Worlds Tour with 69 total dates, 14 more than previously planned. The Jonas Brothers were the opening act for most of the tour. Tour tickets for each date sold out in record time after they went on sale, disappointing a large number of fans. The tour was recorded and released to cinemas in Disney Digital 3-D. The concert film brought in $8,651,758 on its opening day, and continued on to gross $31,117,834 to finish off the weekend, making it the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film to be released under 1000 screens, and on July 26, 2008 it was released on Disney Channel.

After that, Walt Disney Records/Hollywood Records released a live album recorded by Cyrus during this tour. It features seven songs as her character, Hannah Montana, and another seven as herself. The album peaked at number three in the United States.

2008–present

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." Cyrus co-wrote all but two songs on the album. "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." 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. "7 Things" was the first single to be released from Breakout. The single debuted at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100. Two weeks later of released, it rose sixty spots from number 70 to number nine.

She hosted the 2008 CMT Music Awards with her father in April. In 2008, Cyrus hosted the Teen Choice Awards. On September 5 2008, Cyrus along with many female singers performs a single for the anti-cancer campaign Stand Up to Cancer, titled "Just Stand Up!", was performed live during the one-hour U.S. On September 14, 2008, Cyrus participated in other philanthropy action — along with other performers, performed at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California for the City of Hope Benefit Concert that will help raise for cancer research and training programs.

On November 4, 2008, Hollywood Records released a Christmas themed CD titled All Wrapped Up. Which include Cyrus version of the Christmas hit "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town". Cyrus co-wrote and recorded one of the two original songs to the soundtrack of Bolt, the song also features the other Bolt star John Travolta. Titled "I Thought I Lost You", it was later nominated to a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Her single, "The Climb" from the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack debuted at number six on the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming her highest charting single to date since "See You Again" and "7 Things" which charted at #10 and #9 respectively. And she launched another Hannah Montana soundtrack (for the third season), titled Hannah Montana 3 on July 7, 2009.

On June 3, 2009 Cyrus announced her "2009 North American Tour." The tour will begin on September 14, 2009 in Portland, Oregon and span 45 dates across North America. On June 5, 2009 more dates were announced for the United Kingdom making the tour change names to the "2009/2010 World Tour." The tour will feature the band Metro Station as a special guest. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on June 13, 2009 and for the UK dates on June 12, 2009. Cyrus also recorded a song with the Jonas Brothers titled "Before The Storm" for their fourth studio album Lines, Vines and Trying Times.

On August 31, 2009, Cyrus will release a Wal-Mart exclusive EP entitled The Time of Our Lives. It will be released as promotion for Cyrus' clothing line. The first single, "Party in the USA," was leaked onto the internet on July 28, 2009. It was officially released to radio on July 29.

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. Disney released a Hannah Montana clothing collection in late summer 2007. Cyrus helped to design some of the pieces from the collection. 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. A wax figure of Cyrus was unveiled at Madame Tussauds in New York City. 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 (ISBN 978-1-42-311992-0) was written with Hilary Liftin and was published by Disney-Hyperion Books in March 2009. The memoir discusses Cyrus' 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. Miles to Go reached #1 on the New York Times children’s best seller list. An initial printing run of one million copies of Miles to Go is planned.

Personal life

Miley with dancers Ashlee Nino and Mandy Jiroux.

In January 2008, Cyrus announced her intent to officially change her name to "Miley Ray Cyrus," her middle name reflecting that of her father. The name change became official on May 1, 2008.

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. When interviewed by Parade, she added that she attends church regularly with her family. 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."

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 mostly filmed in Cyrus' bedroom. In June 2009, it was confirmed that Cyrus broke up with Nashville Star contestant Justin Gaston.

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."

In the September 2008 issue of Seventeen, Cyrus stated she was in a relationship with Nick Jonas for two years, and that the two "were in love." They broke up at the end of 2007. In June 2009, in an interview on talk show Larry King Live, Joe Jonas implied that the two were back together. Shortly after, Cyrus hinted at a second break-up with Jonas when she Tweeted, "I am lovinggg being single :) life is so carefree!!!"

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. The proceeds went to the charity Youth Service America, a youth volunteering organization. Ten outstanding youth volunteers from Youth Service America were invited to attend, and later in the evening, Cyrus presented a $1 million check to the organization.

In December 2008, TV Guide reported that Cyrus was selected as one of the United States top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special aired on December 4, 2008.

Cyrus is involved in Disney's Friends for Change. She was featured in a commercial on the Disney Channel. The charity helps explain how kids can help preserve the planet and invites them to go to the Friends for Change website to register and pledge, offering them the chance to help choose how Disney will invest $1 million in environmental programs. Cyrus recorded "Send It On" with Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, and Demi Lovato for the charity.

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. 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/convicted sex offender Annie Leibovitz. 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. 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. And I should know a thing or two about vioaling people. Wait? Is that camera on?” Branding consultants John Tantillo and Michael Stone appeared on Fox Business News to discuss possible repercussions for Cyrus' brand and her best marketing strategy going forward.

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... and a little confused. I never intended for any of this to happen and I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about.

Leibovitz also released a statement:

I'm sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted. But you peole knew that I was a convicted sex offender. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful.

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. According to the interview, Cyrus' parents and/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 were "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 can't help but take her picture naked, okay.

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. Legally take pictures of under aged girls. I would love to be a photographer... I want to come to London to study. I hear there are some great private schools full of little girls here, so I would love to do that.

Pregnancy hoax

On September 24, 2007, rumors began circulating that Cyrus was pregnant. The cause of the rumor was an image of a page of J-14 Magazine circulating on the Internet entitled "Miley's Meltdown" and saying, among other things, "Miley herself confirmed the pregnancy rumors during a J-14 interview." J-14 immediately responded saying that, "Someone doctored the "This Just In" article that appeared on page 16 of J-14's July 2007 issue" and that "this story is completely fabricated!" The real story on J-14's page 16 article was "Miley's Gross Habits" told by her co-stars on the set of Hannah Montana.

Allegations of racism

In February 2009, Cyrus was accused of racism towards those of the Asian race, when a photo circulated around the internet, featuring her and several others - including then-boyfriend Justin Gaston - pulling their eyes into a slanted position. Cyrus has denied the allegations, saying:

In NO way was I making fun of any ethnicity! I was simply making a goofy face. When did that become newsworthy? [...] It seems someone is trying to make something out of nothing to me. If that would of [sic] been anyone else, it would of [sic] been overlooked! I definitely feel like the press is trying to make me out as the new 'BAD GIRL'! [...] I feel like now that Britney [Spears] is back on top of her game again, they need someone to pick on! Lucky me!

Cyrus was sued by a Los Angeles woman named Lucie J. Kim, on behalf of the entire city's Asian American and Pacific Islander population, for four billion dollars.

Religion and same-sex marriage

In April 2009, Cyrus was criticized by the conservative American Family Association (AFA) for a comment she made in a Twitter communication to Perez Hilton. In response to a question from Hilton regarding same-sex marriage, Cyrus wrote: "I am a Christian and I love you - gay or not - because you are no different than anyone else! We are all God's children and everyone should be happy." The AFA said: "Clearly she is confused and does not understand the Bible. Please pray for the Lord to open her eyes to the truth."

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
2003	Big Fish	Ruthie	Billed as "Destiny Cyrus"
2007	High School Musical 2	Girl at Pool	Cameo appearance
2008	Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert	Hannah Montana/Herself	Main Role
	Bolt	Penny	Voice
2009	Hannah Montana: The Movie	Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana	Main Role
2010	The Last Song	Veronica "Ronnie" Collins	Shooting, main role.
2011	Wings	Laurel	Main Role. Confirmed on July 14, 2009
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Doc	Kylie	Guest appearance
2006	The Suite Life of Zack & Cody	Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana	"That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana" (crossover episode)
2006–present	Hannah Montana	Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana	Lead Role
2007	The Emperor's New School	Yata	Voice
	2007 Disney Channel Games	Herself	Disney Channel special
2007–2008	The Replacements	Celebrity Starr	Voice
2008	Studio DC: Almost Live	Herself	Disney Channel special
2009	The Suite Life on Deck	Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana	"Wizards on Deck with Hannah Montana" (crossover episode) A Disney Channel special

Discography

Main article: Miley Cyrus discography

Studio albums

• Meet Miley Cyrus (2007)
• Breakout (2008)

Other albums

• Hannah Montana 2 (2007)
• Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert (2008)
• Hannah Montana: Hits Remixed (2008)
• iTunes Live from London (2009)
• The Time of Our Lives (2009)

Awards

Year	Result	Award	Category	Nominated Work
2007	Won	Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite TV Actress	Hannah Montana
		Teen Choice Awards	TV Actress Comedy
			Summer Artist	None
2008	Nominated	Video Music Awards	Best New Artist	7 Things
	Won	Teen Choice Awards	Female Artist	None
			TV Actress Comedy	Hannah Montana
		Young Artist Awards	Best Performance in a TV Series
		Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Female Singer	None
			Favorite TV Actress	Hannah Montana
		Gracie Allen Awards	Outstanding Female Lead in a Comedy Series (Child or Adolescent)	None
	Nominated	Europe Music Awards	New Act
	Won	UK Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Female TV Star	Hannah Montana
2009	Nominated
		Golden Globe Award	Best Original Song	I Thought I Lost You
		Critic's Choice Award	Best Song
		Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite TV Actress	Hannah Montana
	Won		Favorite Female Singer	None
		MTV Movie Awards	Best Song From A Movie	The Climb
	Nominated		Breakthrough Performance Female	Hannah Montana: The Movie
		Much Music Video Awards	International Video of the Year Artist	The Climb
		Teen Choice Awards
			Choice Movie: Liplock	Hannah Montana: The Movie
	Won		Choice Movie Actress: Music/Dance
			Choice Movie Hissy Fit
			TV Actress	Hannah Montana
			Choice Music: Single	The Climb
	Nominated		Female Hottie	None
			Choice Red Carpet Icon: Female

External links

• Official website
• The Miley and Mandy Show at YouTube
• Miley Cyrus at IMDb

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