She came in like a wrecking ball… on the Disney Channel at the tender age of 13.
To be fair, Miley Cyrus wasn’t a stranger to fame, thanks to her father, Billy Ray, and his achy breaky heart.
Miley’s work spans genres and her voice and style have changed to encompass her growing place in the music world, and her own growth as a human being.
Miley Cyrus’s music genres
Pop
While she may have gotten her start with Disney, Miley didn’t stay kid-friendly for too long.
After releasing a few pop albums in Hannah Montana’s character and the album “Breakout,” Miley shed her teeny-bopper ways and embraced a much raunchier version of herself.
“Bangerz” ushered in a new version of Miley Cyrus, proving she was a viable pop star who wasn’t afraid to break the mold.
“Wrecking Ball” became one of the biggest hits of 2013, and led to the iconic music video of her with a buzzcut riding a wrecking ball.
Miley’s pop also has a hint of rock to it, and her voice’s natural rasp gives all of her songs an air of grittiness.
Pop-Rock
Speaking of pop-rock, this one is really Miley’s lane.
Many, if not most, of her songs fit into this category, and one’s thing Miley has never been is your sanitized, buttoned-up star.
Miley has used this genre to explore her changing voice and place in life. “The Climb” was a softer pop-rock song that rested on its sentimental lyrics, while “Can’t Be Tamed” pulled fewer punches and used heavy production and more risque lyrics to get the point across that Miley was no longer a little girl.
As always, Miley pays homage to those who came before her by covers of pop-rock songs from the greats like Heart and Fleetwood Mac.
Country
Making her dad proud, Miley has dabbled in country throughout her career.
Who could forget the “Hoedown Throwdown,” which was a staple song at every bar in the early 2010s?! Before that, she came out with “I Miss You” which had all the hallmarks of a heartbreaking country, as sung by a tween.
Miley’s also quite fond of doing covers of work from other country music stars. She’s done justice to “Jolene,” her godmother Dolly Parton’s iconic tune.
Miley doesn’t spend too much time digging into her country roots these days, but they’re always there. She is from Tennessee, after all.
Conclusion
Many can rightfully claim to be cross-over artists, but not many can assert they went from child star to music industry titan seemingly overnight.
Miley’s still one of the younger ones in the game, so she’s got all the time in the world to continue exploring herself and gracing fans with new music along the way.