Visit the NPR Tiny Desk Page to see a 1/29/21 posted performance from Miley Cyrus. I absolutely agree with NPR Writer, Ann Powers, that the proportions in this video take a moment to sink in. And I encourage listeners to listen all the way through, and let the vocals of a maturing, talented performer do just the same. I like Miley Cyrus' fun attitude more all the time. Maybe as a hardworking child-celebrity, she is used to being larger than life and carries the situation off easily. I loved her Blondie, Heart of Glass cover, and not knowing any better, assumed her hair was exactly like Blondie used to wear hers. She has this look -- like Kanye in his grandpa sweaters -- Miley looks like she shopped in Blondie's closet, or her mom's. It's delightfully diametrical: to me she dons these clothes that look so very costumey, taking karaoke to the absolute edge, and set in a little room, looks like a much younger girl playing dress up. It's such a close copy that she looks a little false. She's still a little too young and fresh-faced to be at the height of rebellion, to have such an edge. She is pretending, and she reminds me of my friend, M, who wore a size too big shoes when she hosted at a steakhouse, so patrons would take a sympathetic view of her and think of her as someone wearing her mothers' shoes. Why? I think Miley is expressing her desire to shield and comfort herself from gossip. But the fun of it -- she has this awesome, power rebel look. She revives great musical spirits with both sincerity and accuracy, which shows that she is not only confident of her talent, and aware of her musical heritage -- she has rehearsed, she's been through it, and measured her response.
I think this second performance is extremely cool because she's so focused on her identity and craft and the song and video speak to people of many ages/ generations. She recounts "Wrecking Ball" period criticisms and humiliation. She is taking on retro, strong-woman looks, and covering the retro strong-woman songs. All at once, she imagines herself as, despite her marriage and divorce already, a girl just starting to outgrow her childhood bedroom and childhood things. While she is vulnerable, maybe hiding back home and feeling bullied, or reliving her past in a "hindsight is 20/20" kind of way with new knowledge, or even remembering youth experiences, she is a rebellious, spike-haired bastion of personal strength. Unapologetic and proud. Her attitude comes as naturally to her identity as her heritage does. Her third song, another cover, but more recent: I don't hear "Fade Into You" often enough, and I think she paced herself well and let the momentum of the song grow organically, which shows talent of a seasoned performer. While the delivery is still more hard rock - her flavor, and that's kind of opposite of my favorite part of this original song, as a result, I'm appreciating how Miley will sing her heart out and give all her strength to her performances. And I think she sustained the strength. Her voice has always been husky and her look fresh and young. I don't think she can totally hide her Americana-freshness behind glamour and spikes. (Maybe her image won't change with age and life experience.) Her alto is like, completely startling, special, distinctive and when she takes on a softer song, it throws light upon the maturing and gritty quality of her voice that is all her own. Her voice captivated, startled me, and then faded into a great rock song. She continues to own herself. As her voice fades into the viewer, the volume of the theatrics is cranked back up. The dollhouse set is stripped away, revealing the authenticity of the sound - a straight up 3-piece rock band behind her. It's a Blondie/Benatar smash and a drop-the-mic moment, and I love it. I don't know if I'm a "smiler," aka a die-hard Miley fan, but if that's what they are called, how can one not kinda want to bae?! "Smilers?" In a world where you can be anything, what's one more thing ? Go Miley! Awesome performance and cool set design.
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AuthorWe are Kieran and Michelle, two 32-year-old William & Mary grads living in Virginia. Archives
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