Starting out as an innocent Disney Channel character, to releasing more provocative songs and music videos, Cyrus has certainly kept us entertained over the years with her experiences in multiple different musical genres.
Miley has dabbled in several genres of music throughout her solo career. She started out in pop as Hannah Montana, before transitioning to a mix of pop punk and teen pop songs. She also sings country and country pop music, whether it’s covers or her own tracks. In 2019, she revealed her music will be “genre-less” with psychedelic and hip hop elements.
Let’s explore more about her genre choices, and look further into her explanation of a “genre-less” take on her upcoming music.
Hannah Montana Pop
Miley started out her career in the entertainment industry as Hannah Montana on Disney Channel in 2006. As the first season of the series premiered, it quickly drew the largest audience for any Disney Channel show.
Hannah Montana was Miley’s first taste of the music industry, and she only released music as the character until her first single as Miley came out in 2007 titled “Ready, Set, Don’t Go”. While this tune falls into the country genre, Hannah Montana’s songs were mainly teen pop.
Songs like “The Best of Both Worlds”, “Nobody’s Perfect”, and “He Could Be The One” were upbeat pop tracks aimed at teens.
Hannah Montana’s works also featured some country pop tunes, like “You’ll Always Find Your Way Back Home” and “Hoedown Throwdown” from Hannah Montana: The Movie in 2009.
In 2017, she was questioned whether she enjoyed being the innocent, pop-heavy character within the Disney universe – an intriguing question considering she tried quite hard to break out of the role when she turned 18 years old.
“I liked being in the Disney universe because I didn’t know anything else, I knew that I was getting to live what I wanted to do when I got to do two things that I loved.”
She then referenced Hannah Montana’s music, saying:
“Honestly, music is everything. All people want to have is great music, and for that audience, for what that was, that was great music for kids to listen to. There’s a song called “Life’s What You Make It So Let’s Make It Rock”, never forget that! Wise words.”
Miley’s final music as Hannah Montana was in 2010, the same year that the show ended, with her last album being Hannah Montana Forever which heavily featured pop songs.
Solo Career On The Side and Beyond
During her time acting as Hannah Montana, Cyrus also began releasing her own songs as an individual artist.
Her debut album Meet Miley Cyrus came out in 2007, a year after she first appeared on the Disney Channel show. This was followed by Breakout in 2008, and Can’t Be Tamed in 2010.
Meet Miley Cyrus topped the US charts at No. 1, and was advertised as the soundtrack album for the second season of the popular TV show.
The songs were largely driven by teen pop sounds, with Entertainment Weekly reporting that it “delivers pure pop candy and impresses with R&B tinged ballads.”
The album was her first hint towards her interest in slightly more mature content, which would eventually lead to her desire to breakaway.
Pop punk was also prominent in her first two albums, with tunes like “See You Again”, “Start All Over,” “7 Things I Hate About You”, and “Fly On The Wall”.
Big Fan of Country
Country music has always been a big part of Miley’s career. “The Climb” (2009) was a blend of country and pop, as well as “Butterfly Fly Away” (2009).
Her cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” garnered plenty of attention on YouTube, and she often covers songs by Johnny Cash like “A Boy Named Sue.”
While her 2013 album Bangerz featured many pop tracks, her 2017 album Younger Now went back to her country roots with “Younger Now”, “Malibu”, and others.
Genre-less Ventures
Miley released Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz as a free album on streaming service SoundCloud in 2015.
It was the first time she had experimented with genres other than pop or country, as it was a psychedelic pop and rock album.
As of 2019, fans have been eagerly waiting for the release of her next album She Is Miley Cyrus which is in a 3-part series of EP’s and albums.
She Is Miley Cyrus will be a genre-less album, full of songs that feature psychedelic, hip hop, and pop elements.