When Miley Cyrus walked onstage to host the VMAs on August 30, it felt like déjà vu. The last time she graced the stage, for her infamous performance with Robin Thicke in 2013, marked the beginning of her descent, according to critics. Since then, she has gained media attention for her scandalous Instagrams and outfits, and there is a new tabloid article about her every day.
Miley Cyrus’ fame began with Hannah Montana, a show that many current high school students watched religiously. From 2006 to 2011, Cyrus starred as the lovable Miley Stewart, who lived a double life as a pop star. Anyone who grew up watching the Disney Channel during those years can probably still sing its theme song, and Cyrus subsequently found success releasing albums under a clean-cut image, like Breakout, a collection of formulaic pop songs that fans loved. However, with her next album, she began to show her frustration with her pop-star characterization. The edgy video for “Can’t Be Tamed” made headlines for its dark content.
Bangerz was the final confirmation that Miley Cyrus was no longer the beloved tween actress of old. Her hyper-sexualized image shocked fans and parents, even as she gained a new fanbase that included grown-up Hannah fans. However, the media scorned her new identity. Cyrus began recording an experimental album in late 2013 and created a bizarre social media presence. Her Instagram posts feature dyed armpit hair, bizarre crafts, and questionable bathroom selfies. Her tweets and captions, a far cry from the days when her first parental warning on an album was met with horror, are routinely explicit and unintelligible. pot, bizarre crafts, and questionable bathroom selfies. Her tweets and captions, a far cry from the days when her first parental warning on an album was met with horror, are routinely explicit and unintelligible.
As the first host of the VMAs in two years, Miley had few expectations to live up to, which was a good thing. Her comments throughout the show were rarely funny, and her exotic outfits quickly got old. In true Miley fashion, she “accidentally” flashed the camera at one point, and was called out by Nicki Minaj for a critical comment made to The New York Times in the most exciting moment of the show. Her closing performance of a new song, alongside a range of outlandishly-dressed dancers, did not impress viewers who recalled her outrageous performance two years ago.
Finally, to end the show with a bang, Miley announced a new album: Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, available on Soundcloud only. It was produced by psychedelic rock group The Flaming Lips, paralleling her move toward psychedelic and experimental rock. Though “Dooo It!”, the song Miley closed the VMAs with, is less than a promising start to the album, some tracks are surprisingly tender. “Karen Don’t Be Sad” and “The Floyd Song (Sunrise)” are poignant ballads with no comparison to Bangerz. She takes inspiration from Pink Floyd on tracks like “Cyrus Skies”. Many of the tracks are forgettable, however, and the album lacks the passion of its predecessor. Cyrus has potential as a musician, but she has instead become a symbol of the selfie generation – she uses the shock factor to get likes and views instead of proving that she is worthy of the attention.
