Teenage pop-stars are important figures in the eyes of young children as well as teenagers. At age 17, Miley Cyrus is extremely famous and both teenagers and kids are inspired by her. As Miley is growing up she is portraying a more mature image. She wants everyone to love her, but doesn’t want to be a child star anymore. She wants to be someone who adults love. In an interview with my Telus.com Cyrus said, “As my fans grow up, I should be growing up too."
On November 20, Miley Cyrus performed live at the Nassau Coliseum. Along with others, fans have definitely seen a new side of her. Her recent tour, known as “Breakout”, has a more refined sound and Cyrus is not showing herself as “Hannah Montana” while performing. She wants to be able to step out of the “Hannah Montana” stage, not forgetting her completely, but as she is growing up she wants to be her own person.
Cyrus is trying to make her performances more fun and edgy. Her new songs, compared to her previous ones, are more rock oriented than pop. They are discussing relationships, friendships, experiences, etc. that adults, or teenagers, can relate to; while her previous album included songs that have a calm, child-like sound. Her lyrics now describe young girls and what they like to do; how they dress; accessorize, and look. Younger children, can relate to this theme as they are growing older. While girls are young, they don’t really worry much about whom they will be friends with, how they appear, or why they are doing something; they are just excited to try and do new things. As you are older, you understand why you are doing something and you’re usually doing it for a reason, such as showing a nice appearance, or perhaps they are looking for someone to meet. Being older you care more, and you understand how these things are affecting your life.
While Miley is attracting an older audience, she is also pushing away her younger fans. While performing, Cyrus wore very skimpy, short, tight clothing and also danced inappropriately in front of young children. Parents were outraged and told their children to cover their eyes. Although Cyrus is a great performer, dancer, and actress, she might be showing a wrong way to step out of her young and childish stages.
Some may not know or realize this, but her father, Billy Ray Cyrus, is constantly with her. He travels with her throughout her tours, and is backstage during her concerts. Billy Ray is very protective and has said in an interview that he will never let Miley become like “Brittany Spears.” He does not want her to take a wrong step, and do bad things that may ruin her career. As she is now older, soon to be 18, she is making her own decisions and choices. Although her father is watching her, it’s unclear if this will keep her in place, or if she will mimic other high profile figures, such as Spears.