Miley Cyrus

Career & style

Miley Cyrus became known through Hannah Montana before building a recording career under her own name. Albums such as Breakout, Bangerz and Plastic Hearts mark changes in her musical presentation rather than a single straight path from television to pop. Her live work also draws on rock and country performance traditions.

Her stage photographs are useful for studying how a singer’s image changes with the scale and sound of a show. Compare the visual weight of boots, the outline of a jacket and the amount of movement permitted by an outfit. Treat these as observable choices in a performance. The contrast between different eras is more informative than reducing a long career to one controversial appearance or an isolated red-carpet photograph.