It's the oldest trick in the pop stars book - the big reinvention. Now following in the footsteps of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, and even most lately Katy Perry - Miley Cyrus has decided to throw out her old tongue-wagging, wrecking ball-riding persona and with the release of her new track, Malibu, she would like you to see her as the wholesome sweetheart once again.
She wrote the song for her fiance, Hunger Games actor Liam Hemsworth, and her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, told Billboard, "This is Miley leaning into her roots more than I’ve ever heard. For her, this is honest."
So, forget the past seven years of what has felt like torture as she successfully shed her Hannah Montana skin leaving us begging for the old Miley back. This is New Miley and she's older, wiser and, well, more boring, than ever before. With an estimated net worth of $160 million, Miley will be spending top money on a PR team who will guide her through this big reinvention. Unfortunately for her though - the internet never forgets.
15 Forget The Entire Wrecking Ball Video
In an interview on the Cooper Lawrence morning show, Miley finally came clean about her feelings towards her 2013 Wrecking Ball video - she hates it. The famous video witnessed Miley gyrating naked on a swinging wrecking ball and was parodied by comedians all around the world. The video has had more than 880 million views online placing it in the top 100 most watched YouTube videos of all time.
Miley admitted Wrecking Ball is her least favorite song to sing live as it "bums her out." She revealed, "I don't love it. It's when you're so stoked about something and then you have to sing a song that bums you out. And I'll never live down when I licked a sledgehammer," before adding, "That’s something you can’t take away, swinging around naked on a wrecking ball lives forever. Once you do that - it’s forever. I’m never living that down. I will always be the naked girl on the wrecking ball. That’s my worst nightmare - that being played at my funeral."
14 Forget That Embarrassing Sinead O'Connor Letter
Following the release of the controversial Wrecking Ball video, Miley paid homage to her "hero" Nothing Compares 2 U singer Sinead O'Connor. In a string of tweets to the Irish singer, Miley announced that O'Connor was the inspiration behind her video - something which really did not go down well.
In an open letter back to Miley, O'Connor wrote, "I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos. It is, in fact, the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether its the music business or yourself doing the pimping. Nothing but harm will come in the long run, from allowing yourself to be exploited, and it is absolutely NOT in ANY way an empowerment of yourself or any other young women."
We're guessing Miley just went and pulled the covers over her head after reading this seriously cringe-worthy letter.
13 Forget When She Said She Was Pansexual
There was a time when Miley announced she was pansexual - where you're not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender, or gender identity. She told Variety, "My whole life, I didn't understand my own gender and my own sexuality. I always hated the word 'bisexual,' because that's even putting me in a box. I don't ever think about someone being a boy or someone being a girl. My first relationship in my life was with a chick."
One fan of Miley's, Lucy Watson, wrote on her Junkee blog, "Looking at Dead Petz (Miley's fifth studio album) retrospectively, it’s here that Miley’s use of queer culture begins to feel less authentic, and more like she’s borrowing it for the sake of trying to appear as weird as possible." In June last year, Miley reunited with her ex-fiance Liam Hemsworth and according to recent rumors, the pair is back on track for a wedding date to be set.
12 Forget All The Tongue Wagging
For a couple of years, it felt as if there was nowhere we could turn without seeing Miley's tongue. She was either constantly licking objects (sledgehammers, pianos... even other people) or just wagging her tongue in general. During her Bangerz tour, she set up a giant display of her face with the tongue as the slide. Everybody had had enough and Kelly Osbourne ranted on E! Fashion Police, "Miley's my friend and I love her, and I have her back no matter what, but, as her friend, I'm going to tell her - "Put your f*****g tongue in your mouth! I love you, but just put your tongue in your mouth.'"
Miley later admitted to Barbara Walters that she was constantly sticking out her tongue because she hated posing for photos. Nowadays since her Malibu reinvention has been in place, she's clearly more comfortable smiling sweetly towards the camera - a sign she's become much more comfortable in her own skin.
11 Forget The Bangerz Tour Controversy
When an internationally celebrated artist heads out on a worldwide tour, the last thing they will want is to upset all their fans but that's exactly what happened during Miley's Bangerz Tour. Throughout the tour, she would bend over in small outfits, touch herself inappropriately, bring adult toys on the stage and gyrate on top of a car with her dancers. Considering her fanbase is mostly minors - it was all a bit too much for the accompanying parents.
Music Fix reported, "Miley's management have been flooded with complaints, mainly from parents, since her tour began last week in Canada with calls for the entire tour to be axed." Miley's response was simply, "I want my fans to walk away knowing more about the art that inspires me." We're guessing on her next tour there won't be a glitter G-string in sight.
10 Forget She's Was Once An Advocate Of Substances
Miley was once a die-hard advocate of marijuana use - she wore the shirt, preached its benefits, and even pulled out a smoke on stage in Amsterdam and lit this in front of her fans. Several photos surfaced online of her throwing parties with her friends whilst getting high. In 2013, she told Rolling Stone magazine, "I think weed is the best drug on earth. One time I smoked and I saw a wolf howling at the moon."
But now she wants you to forget about the wolf howling at the moon because she's finally stubbed out her last smoke for good. Last month, she told Billboard magazine, "I haven’t smoked weed in three weeks, which is the longest I’ve ever (gone without it). I’m not doing drugs, I’m not drinking, I’m completely clean right now!" Many believe it was one of Liam Hemsworth's demands before they got back together for her to be completely sober.
9 Forget About Liam Hemsworth and Maika Monroe
Nobody wants to see their ex-fiance, the person you planned to spend the rest of your life with, fall in love with someone. But Miley suffered that heartbreak when Liam Hemsworth fell for his Independence Day: Resurgence co-star (and on-screen lover) actress Maika Monroe. The pair were caught by paparazzi walking around barefoot as they grabbed cold drinks together, they also cuddled up at the movie's premiere.
One partygoer told US Weekly, "His hand was on her butt as she was grinding into him and they were making out at the bar. Liam was draped all over her. It was so PDA and in-your-face! Their chemistry is ridiculous." History appeared to be repeating itself as Liam also met Miley on-set when they both starred in the 2009 movie The Last Song. It was clearly these reports that got under Miley's skin and she has since reintroduced herself back into his life. Maika who?
8 Forget Every Time A Celebrity Dissed Her
Let's be honest, Miley has had her fair share of celeb enemies over the years, there is just something about her that rubs people up the wrong way. We could be here all day listing the celebs she has beef with so we'll just do the highlights...
Katy Perry was not impressed when she attended Miley's concert and the We Can't Stop singer tried to put her tongue down her throat. Katy called Miley out on her behavior saying, "God knows where that tongue has been" and Miley fired back on Twitter, "Girl if (your) worried about where tongues have been good thing your ex boo is ur EX BOO cause we ALL know where THAT been."
Miley also dressed as Nicki Minaj for Halloween and the Ananconda singer tweeted, "This cheap a*s Cyrus is killing me. Damn, she ain’t need a costume anyways." Ouch. Jay-Z tweeted: "(Miley) represents an old world's worst nightmare." Even Ed Sheeran pitched in, saying, "She’s packaged the wrong way. It’s a stripper’s move." It's a surprise Miley even had the confidence to come out of the house with this many disses thrown at her.
7 Forget Just About Everything She Wore To The VMAs
There was no need for Miley to show up to host the 2015 VMAs practically naked but she did it anyway. Her outfits are definitely up there with some of the worst of all time. Shortly after her hosting job, Taylor Swift appeared to take a swipe at her long-time rival telling W Magazine she would never bare it all which would be "grotesque."
Miley hit back via Twitter, explaining, "I thought that’s what the VMAs were all about! It’s not the Grammys or the Oscars. You’re not supposed to show up in a gown, Vanna White-style. It’s supposed to be fun!" Now Miley has had a complete style overhaul, she is probably looking back and seeing for the first time what everyone saw back then - a complete disaster.
6 Forget That Dreadful "Dead Petz" Album
Unlike her previous album, Bangerz, which had hits like Wrecking Ball, We Can't Stop and Adore You, the follow-up titled Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz was a huge flop. The album tracklisting was beyond bizarre with songs like Bang Me Box, I'm So Drunk, and Slab Of Butter making the record and it had become obvious Miley was in full rebellion mode.
How things got this bad was that Miley put all the money forward for the album herself so the record label had no say in, well, basically any of it. During an interview with The New York Times, Miley revealed, "(Her record label RCA) they’d never seen someone at my level, especially a woman, have this much freedom. I literally can do whatever I want. It’s insane." She also revealed that they advised her the album was too long, so she rebelled and added one more track "just to prove that it can’t be too long."Annie Zaleski, a music critic for The A.V. Club, called the 92-minute album a "slog to get through."
5 Forget Those "Borderline Racist" Moments
Miley's VMA performance offended a lot of people for its hypersexuality and there were others who called her borderline racist too. Pop critic Jody Rosen told Vulture the performance was "all about race." She said, "As Cyrus stalked the stage, mugging and twerking, and paused to spank and simulate a*****gus upon the a** of a thickly set African-American backup dancer, her act tipped over into what we may as well just call racism." The criticism came after there were several black artists nominated but none went home winners.
The performance came not long after claimed she enjoyed "hood music" saying, "A lot of people wanted to try to make me the white Nicki Minaj. That’s not what I’m trying to do. I love ‘hood’ music, but my talent is as a singer."
4 Forget The Time She Danced On A 45-Year-Old's Lap
When Miley was 16-years-old, she was captured on camera giving a lap dance to 45-year-old Adam Shankman, the director The Last Song in which she starred. The pair had already stirred up controversy after Shankman posted a photo on Twitter of them cuddling up together. Shankman in his defense said it was just a bit of "fun" and Miley was his "angel little sister."
Miley's father Billy Ray Cyrus dismissed the controversial video saying, "It's what people her age do." He didn't have a problem with his daughter appearing naked on a wrecking ball either, as he told Piers Morgan, "Miley harnessed into something very special. She's just Miley. She's an artist, she's real. I think that's what's happened over the years, Miley has been reinventing her sound. She's evolving as an artist herself. I think that it's all of what everyone is calling controversy now. That's still my Miley."
3 Forget When She Took A Wanted Criminal To The VMAs
Well, this date didn't quite turn out as Miley had planned as she though bringing a homeless guy as her date to the VMAs would melt the hearts of millions. 21-year-old Jesse Helt had Miley's arm for the entire evening and she asked him to accept the award on her behalf. Jesse told the audience, "I am accepting this award on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost and scared for their lives right now. I know, because I am one of those people."
Then, in a twist that could only happen to Miley, it turns out Jesse was a criminal and there was an arrest warrant out for him. In 2010, Jesse was placed on probation for criminal mischief, criminal trespass, and burglary. When he violated the terms of his parole, he was sentenced to six months in prison.
2 Forget When She Upset The Whole Of Detroit
Nobody knows why Miley decided to outrage the whole of Detroit but she likely just felt like it that day. During an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, she said, "Detroit's where I really grew up. It was only for a summer, but that's where I started going to clubs, where I got my first tattoo."
Those who have lived in the area their whole lives were not impressed that Cyrus, who came from a privileged background in Franklin, Tennessee, claimed that she had grown up in Detroit. Many pointed out that Miley was shooting a big-budget Disney movie, LOL, at the time and she was constantly surrounded by minders - oh, and she also got to hang out with Demi Moore. One fan tweeted, "Miley spent one summer in Detroit and says that she grew up here ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"
1 Forget THAT Performance With Robin Thicke
Miley has one person to blame for her twerking at the VMAs in 2013 - Robin Thicke. She claimed the embarrassing performance was all the Blurred Lines singer's fault, claiming he wanted her "as naked a possible." She told the New York Times, "He acted like he didn’t know that was going to happen. You were in rehearsals! You knew exactly what was going to happen. And he was actually the one that approved my outfit, so I thought that was very funny. He wanted me as naked as possible."
Another person Miley pinned the blame on was Elvis Presley (yes, really). She said, "(Elvis) was coming out and he was doing like the (original) twerking. Like, no one wants to admit that he was twerking, he was." Elvis, Robin - whoever it was to blame, this is certainly one thing Miley would love for us all to forget.
Sources: usmagazine.com, rollingstone.com
