She is a talented rebel who polarizes. Miley Cyrus was “an entrepreneur before she got her first period.” In an interview with Forbes, the now 30-year-old reflects on her career, which has seen her go from a child star on television to one of the most famous musicians in the world.
Miley Cyrus’ face was already known in her youth days. In 2006, the then 13-year-old was the star of the TV series “Hannah Montana” — and thus influenced the youth of children and teenagers all over the world.
In almost 100 episodes and several films, Cyrus appeared as Hannah Montana — and was colorful, loud, extroverted and full of energy. It was the starting point for a breathtaking career: Since leaving the series, she has focused on her work as a musician — not without success: Cyrus has since released eight studio albums and earned the nickname «Pop Chameleon» — because her music ranges from psychedelic rock to country hip-hop. In any case, the audience likes it: Cyrus has achieved a total of 85 million monthly listeners on Spotify, 175 gold records and 384 platinum records. Her album “Bangerz” alone sold a total of three million copies.All of this also leads to financial success for Cyrus.
The singer has 215 million followers on Instagram and is the 20th largest Instagram account in the world. Through her acting, music and entrepreneurial careers, Cyrus has an estimated fortune of $160 million.The childhood years were formative and played an important role for Cyrus. “Hard work is everything,” she says, referring, among other things, to her youth as a cheerleader. “I think the reason I love cheerleading so much is because it taught me about hard work and dedication. You only get out of life what you put into it.”Some might say Cyrus was born a star.
Her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, was one of the highest-earning country singers in the USA at the time, and her godmother was Dolly Parton. “My relationship to fame and success is very different than that of my father,” she says in an interview, adding: “The feeling of being loved by a large audience affected him emotionally much more than it did me.”
Miley Cyrus grew up in front of an audience of millions; she sang with her father at a young age. In an interview he remembers this time and says: “Miley loves being on stage. The louder people clapped, the more she danced. I think she has the Cyrus virus.» Miley also laughs and says: «I’m grateful for this energy that was connected to my former self, because it has become a reality.»When she auditioned for “Hannah Montana” in 2004, she was only eleven years old.
“I was a little girl with four teeth from Tennessee who acted like she was a big superstar,” Cyrus said. The decision: Cyrus was too young for the role and the pilot was shot without her. A year later, the casting team contacted us again. Cyrus got the role and her father also joined the cast. “The casting director saw my father in the waiting room, thought he was cute and spontaneously invited him to the casting room,” Cyrus remembers with a laugh.
Between 2006 and 2011 she took on the role of Miley Stewart in “Hannah Montana” in 100 episodes. The success of the series also helped Cyrus achieve financial success: by her 18th birthday, according to Forbes estimates, she earned $134 million. «I’m many things, but I’m not lazy.»
Over the years, Cyrus turned further and further away from film and television and towards music. “One of the reasons I know so much about music is because my mom and I used to listen to music on the way to auditions.” Even though she was on “Hannah Montana,” when she was 15 and 16 years old , played 71 different shows on the “Best of Both Worlds” tour in the USA and Canada – and earned around US$ 70 million – her musical breakthrough only came in 2013 with her first solo album “Bangerz”.“Hannah is for kids, Miley is for grown men in high heels,” says Cyrus. «After playing a role for so long, the last thing I wanted to do was be someone I wasn’t,» she adds, referencing her changes after «Hannah Montana.»
Like Madonna, whom she considers one of her role models, Cyrus knows how to use her talent, risk-taking and public persona to keep fans, the press and the industry on their toes. It’s not for nothing that around 215 million people currently follow her on Instagram. For many millennials, memories of Cyrus sitting naked on a wrecking ball in her «Wrecking Ball» video in 2013 or grinding against singer Robin Thicke in a latex bra and panties at the MTV Video Music Awards that same year are just as strong ingrained in her memory like the image of “Hannah Montana.” The outrage that arose from her transformation certainly helped to increase awareness of her. Her debut album went three times platinum, earned a Grammy nomination, and earned Cyrus a spot on the Forbes Under 30 list.
After her debut success, the musician released “Cyrus & Her Dead Petz”, in collaboration with Wayne Coyne, the frontman of the Flaming Lips. She initially released the psychedelic album directly on Soundcloud so that her fans could listen to it for free — which naturally didn’t sit well with her label. Instead of following the rules, she wanted to try something new. «If I know I’m going to take a bigger risk and get a bigger reward, then I usually do that,» Cyrus says, adding, «I do that in everything — in business, in love and in life.»
In general, Cyrus is taking more control over her career and her platforms these days. In May 2021, she signed a $40 million deal with NBC Universal that brought her back to television with three specials alongside her mother Tish Cyrus’ production company. She is also collaborating with the company “Hims & Hers” to develop a skin care line.
There are also advertising contracts with brands such as Gucci, investments as business angels and new entertainment projects. Over the years, Miley Cyrus learned to put herself and her needs first. In the past, she appeared in a video shoot the day after a fire at her home in Malibu. “Before, my work and my shows were always the top priority. I think that’s why it’s so important to me now that people and humanity are in the foreground.”
Cyrus seems more introverted and quiet these days anyway. She prefers experimenting with music and philanthropy to drugs and partying. The fight for equal rights for people from the LGBTQ+ community led her to found the Happy Hippie Foundation in 2014 to provide education, employment and support to homeless and at-risk LGBTQ+ youth. “People will always talk about me.
The question is: How can I get them to talk about something that actually makes a difference?» asks Cyrus. “When people talk about me dressing up as a teddy bear and rubbing up against Robin Thicke, it doesn’t do anything for me. Starting Happy Hippie and still doing it years later was the proudest moment of my career.» Earlier this year, Miley Cyrus announced the first single «Flowers» from her new album Endless Summer Vacation. “’Flowers’ represented something that became a new way of life for me. Namely, transforming past pain and trauma into something positive. My idea behind the video was similar, namely to show strength and optimism despite heartbreak,” said the singer. In her latest single, «Used to Be Young,» Cyrus looks back on her turbulent past and sings about her own metamorphosis over the years.
“The song allows for sadness and optimism to happen at the same time,” Cyrus said. Today she seems content, looks back on her past with humor and looks toward the future with optimism. “I’m happy when I can be everything other people expect me to be,” says Cyrus. “As long as I met my own needs first and foremost.”
