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“It’s so much easier to know who you are when there aren’t a thousand people telling you who they think you are.” Miley Cyrus is the child of Billy Ray Cyrus, country singer and actor, and a child actor herself. Her first acting role was on her father’s television series, Doc in 2001. She had a couple of guest spots on the series over the next two years, but it wasn’t until the television series Hannah Montana, in 2006 when Miley Cyrus became a household name.

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From there, Cyrus launched a career that has shifted more from film to music. Miley seems to be pleased with the trajectory, stating, “Music is what I breathe, what I love to do. It keeps me alive.” As her music career took off, Cyrus sought to separate herself from the squeaky clean and wholesome image of her youth and branched out to more adult themes, letting the world know she was a star in her own right and no longer the little girl and teen that played in the Hannah Montana series and movies.

Cyrus is a respected artist in her own right, having won accolades as MTV’s 2013 “Artist of the Year,” 2008 and 2014 Time 100 List of most influential people, and more. She is also highly philanthropic, helping to fund programs like the Happy Hippie Foundation to address youth homelessness and issues affecting the LBGT community. Her career hasn’t been completely without controversy, though, as she seeks to find her voice as an adult and leave the image of youthful “wholesomeness” projected by Hannah Montana behind.

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Back to the Beginning

Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus to parents Billy Ray and Letitia Jean “Tish” Cyrus. She has six siblings, three older and two younger. It was her childhood nickname that would give birth to the name everyone knows today. That childhood nickname was “Smiley,” because she was always so cheerful and sunny as a child.  

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When her father moved to Canada to take on the lead in the television series Doc, Cyrus had her first opportunity to act. She took to it like a fish to water and was later cast in a small role in the movie Big Fish in 2003. From there, she auditioned for a role that would have been a game changer as the best friend of Hannah Montana. While she did not get that role, she was ultimately cast for the Disney series lead, which was the launchpad to fame and fortune for Cyrus at a very young age.

Miley essentially grew up in the spotlight, taking on roles that solidified her wholesome image and raking in massive royalties from soundtrack recordings, personal appearances, merchandising rights, and more. Not to mention gaining fame with every new project she tackled.

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Her debut as a film actress came in the animated film, Bolt, in 2008, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe award. She went on to star in The Last Song in 2010 and LOL in 2012 before shifting her focus, time, attention, and powerful voice to music.

Miley’s Split Focus

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In addition to various music releases for Disney’s Hanna Montana, Cyrus signed a four-album deal with Hollywood Records that was wildly successful. She achieved major success with her musical releases earning a great deal of money and influence in the process before stepping back from music to focus, once again, on acting.

After achieving limited success with the resurgence of her acting career, Miley once again returned to music. This time, with RCA Records and a sound that was widely influenced by hip-hop. She also worked on various collaborations with big names in the hip-hop industry like Snoop Lion, will.i.am, and Lil Twist.

It seems that some of Miley’s greatest music, however, comes from the places of her greatest pain as the single “Wrecking Ball,” written about her first split with Liam Hemsworth. More recently, the song “Slide Away,” addresses her divorce from Hemsworth in a soulful manner. The song hints at reasons for the breakup of her marriage with lines like “Move on, we’re not 17,” and hinting that “It’s time to let it go.”

Personal Life, Marriage, and a Look to the Future

After an on-again off-again relationship with Liam Hemsworth spanning years, the couple finally tied the knot on December 23, 2018. Unfortunately, matrimonial bliss was not in their cards and Hemsworth filed for divorce in August of 2019.

While controversy surrounds the split, Cyrus vehemently denies rumors that she had cheated on Hemsworth and others hinting at the fact that Cyrus fought hard to save their relationship for a long time before giving up and attempting to move forward without him.

While many would say that Miley Cyrus has lost focus somewhere along the way, it seems that much of what she does professionally, works out very well for the actress and musician. She continues to be a household name and, if her latest music is any indication, she still has quite a bit of life, love, and talent to share with the world.