Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Miley is #30 on PopDust's 40 greatest pop stars in music


Ambitious before she hit adolescence, Miley Cyrus morphs every six months as befits her hyperactive, energetic style of performance. She’s been a tween star, a Twitter star and a pop star. But somehow she always maintains her country-girl-gone-loose-in-the-big-city persona–and her sizable fan base.
NownessNOWNESS: It hasn’t been the most fantastic last 18 months for Miley. Hannah Montana ended, Can’t Be Tamed was a relative flop, and her Gypsy Heart Tour has mostly made headlines for a succession of ill-conceived misinterpretations of classic songs by artists like Nirvana and Fleetwood Mac. If she does find success on the level she was reaching towards the end of the ‘00s again, it won’t be without a couple mentions of the dreaded “comeback” word. (5/20)
ResumeRESUME: As with most things Miley, her biggest musical successes to date can be linked to her role as tween star Hannah Montana. Meet Miley Cyrus: Hannah Montana 2 has received triple platinum status, while her latest album, Can’t Be Tamed, has sold approximately 300,000 copies in the U.S. But there’s still hope for this young star. While recent overall album sales have been lackluster, she’s still managed an impressive five top ten hits over her career—most notably “Party in the U.S.A.,” one of the biggest hits of 2009. (6/10) 
DramaDRAMA: She’s slowed down recently, but at her peak Miley scored off the charts in the drama category, seemingly courting it, in part because her life was endlessly documented on camera.  At the tender age of 16, a sexy round of MySpace photographs were leaked, and then the gossip machine was set into motion. Her 2008 Annie Leibovitz photo shoot for Vanity Fair was deemed inappropriate, her resignation from her twitter account was a national news story, and, most recently, a video of her taking bong hits (of legal substance salvia, she claimed) was leaked. But no arrests! (Yet.) And in both 2010 and 2011, Miley was dubbed the worst pop culture influence on America’s youth by AOL’s kids’ portal, JSYK.  Somehow we don’t even think she cares. (12/15)
Third-Best SongTHIRD-BEST SONG: “7 Things” was the lead single from aptly named Breakout, Miley’s first album foray away from Hannah Montana territory. The song was co-written by power songwriting couple Antonina Armato and Tim James, who specialize in churning out Disney tween star hits. With hints of the guitar-pop charms of Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” especially in the opening moments, “7 Things” showcases the best Miley has to offer: clean vocals churning into spunky energy and hip, confessional lyrics (the song was reportedly written for ex-boyfriend Nick Jonas) like these: “When you mean it I’ll believe it, if you text it I’ll delete it.” (7/10)
Music VideosMUSIC VIDEOS: Many of her early music videos were merely performance outtakes from her family-friendly Hannah Montana live concerts, but in recent years Miley has been hell-bent on stealing from the Britney Spears playbook, making the transition from eye flirting to eye fucking in record time. “Who Owns My Heart” depicts her writhing around in her undergarments in a hotel room, dancing in high heels on the top of a pool table and, weirdly, dressed up as a chola. It still feels a bit like a little girl playing dress-up, but it’s only a matter of time before the image sticks. Her more compelling video work is “The Miley and Mandy Show,” a series of short videos from 2008 featuring Miley acting like a goofball with her best friend Mandy Jiroux. The videos collected millions upon millions of hits. She has a keen understanding that it’s never just about the music, or just about the acting, but about a bigger public persona. (5/10) 
Live ShowLIVE SHOW. There was a time when parents felt safe taking their children to a Miley Cyrus show.  That time may have passed. Her live shows as Hannah Montana were well-documented – a film version of her Best of Both Worlds tour was released in 3-D – and in that iteration of herself she was full-throttle Disney: bubbly, high-energy, a tween superstar choreographed within an inch of her life under a backdrop of lights, screens and dancers.  But at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, a still underage Miley, clad in short shorts and cowboy boots, took a few beats to dance against a stripper pole, signaling a new era in the life of Miley. Just hope that she sticks to her own songbook. (3/5) 
Non-Musical VenturesNON-MUSICAL VENTURES: A collaboration with designer Max Azria has produced a low-budget fashion line for Walmart, but Miley’s eye seems to be trained on Hollywood. Her reviews for her first serious role, The Last Song, were unkind. The New York Times said of her performance, “Acting, for the moment at least, seems almost entirely beyond her.”)  Still the film went on to make more than 60 million dollars, and Cyrus, perhaps recognizing drama is not her strong suit, has two comedies in the pipeline, LOL and So Undercover. Her biggest success remains the wildly popular Hannah Montana television series, which also featured her father, country star Billy Ray Cyrus. After five seasons, it ended its series run in 2011, gathering more than 6 million viewers for its finale. Most recently, she showed her comedic flair in an SNL hosting gig, doing a spot-on impersonation of fellow teen sensation Justin Bieber. (4/5)
Fashion/HairFASHION/HAIR: The goddaughter of Dolly Parton has, in the past, dressed like the exuberant, playful teenager she is. That there has always been a hint of Southern trashiness to her style has only served to make her more relatable. Under the guidance of a stylist, her past awards show appearances, which traditionally allow emerging starlets to distinguish themselves in the fashion world, have landed her on neither the worst- or best-dressed lists. She now seems intent on distinguishing herself as a sexpot, appearing in a revealing leather outfit on the cover ofCan’t Be Tamed. Most recent fashion emergency: for her 18th birthday party, she dressed as Julia Roberts’s prostitute character in Pretty Woman(2/5) 
HotnessHOTNESS: Once she cast off her Hannah Montana wig, a slender, confident, and overtly sexual woman appeared, her high-spiritedness appealing to men everywhere. But just remember, boys, you can’t put a rainbow in a bottle. She can buy and sell you millions of times over – her franchise is reportedly worth a billion dollars. (7/10) 
Who They've DatedWHO THEY’VE DATED: Nick Jonas was her longest relationship, Justin Gaston was her transitional relationship, and Liam Hemsworth, with whom she co-starred in The Last Song, was, by a long shot, her hottest. (3/5)
Fan CrazinessFAN CRAZINESS: It’s still unclear who has more buying power: teenage girls or gay men.  It doesn’t matter to Miley, because she has them both on her side, particularly after the release of “Party in the U.S.A.” in 2009. Days before the album it was featured on, The Time of Our Lives, dropped, seven gay men in the briefest of bathing suits filmed themselves lip-synching to the song on the beaches of Fire Island. It became a massive YouTube hit, transforming it into arguably the song of the summer – for party girls of all ages. (4/5)
Source : PopDust.com

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