I think it's unfair to blame to RCA for Miley's success (or lack of) the past decade. They were the ones that pushed the Bangerz era which gave Miley her biggest hit ever (thus far). Of course the music video and her personal life at the time helped make Bangerz so huge but the label did everything they had to do? I know Adore You didn't get the promo it deserved but it was following 23 which had been a moderate hit for her and also this was the beginning of the streaming age; I'm pretty sure they rush released it cos it was doing well digitally. And if I remember correctly 4x4 was gonna be pushed as a single in 2014 but everything kinda ground to a halt when Floyd passed away. Which isn't there fault or Miley's but I imagine it was Miley who just wanted to wrap up the tour and have a break.
Then we have the follow up... What do you follow up one of the biggest selling albums of the year, which was #1 around the world, with 2 global #1 singles and a world tour? Miley Cyrus And Her Dead Petz - a 23 track album (which was pretty eclectic) with no mainstream single choices! Plus Miley wanted to put it out for free on SoundCloud... As a record label that's not what you'd want to fund or promote. I think they tried to give BB Talk the single treatment but at this point I think she'd lost the GP and alienated a lot of her fan base (even more so then the transition between Disney and Bangerz).
I'd just like to point out that I am a fan of Dead Petz and I respect what Miley was doing as a creative and an artist and how she was the reason we are able to get mixtapes etc from mainstream pop artists now in the present day (in my opinion).
Then begins the course correction in 2017, an overhaul of image and sound. I feel it was definitely Miley's idea to steer into the country-pop lane and maintain a more conservative image and I can see why the label were happy to support it considering the previous era(s). We all know RCA asked Miley to make Malibu more pop and as a "comeback" single it got Miley her first top in a few years and seemed like a good move! Obviously Younger Now the album and single didn't do as well, leaving the record label no incentive to fund more singles or a tour (which Miley said she was planning but later said wouldn't be doing due to wanting to spend time at home). But the promo was still there, Miley did a lot of late night show appearances, radio tour for Malibu, festival slots etc.
Nothing Breaks Like A Heart is another example of the course correction taking place. Mark Ronson had had a lot of success with Lady Gaga and her country pop record, Joanne. It was again a way of transitioning Miley's sound subtly, maintaining the twang of the past era whilst introducing more prominent production elements. The song was a relative success and I assume at this point SHE IS MILEY CYRUS was being recorded.
Now... SHE IS MILEY CYRUS. An interesting era, Miley announces that she's reuniting with her hip-hop collaborator Mike WiLL Made-It. She describes the record as a representation of all ger previous sounds as well as new ones. I'm guessing unsure of which tracks will be a success the label suggested the 3 EP rollout. The first being SHE IS COMING. Lead single, Mother's Daughter was sent to radio, we got the music video and Miley began her festival tour. She also had the benefit of being in Black Mirror and gaining promotion via her acting and singing in that series. Unfortunately Mother's Daughter didn't really do much on the charts and the fate of the other EP's was unknown.
Then we have the Malibu fires and Miley losing her home, there's also things going on in her relationship with Liam at this time. She drops Slide Away as a surprise if I remember correctly? A music video did folk and we got the VMA performance. RCA did fuck up here by not sending the single to radio and therefore it came and went. Now fans spend a year in limbo waiting on a forthcoming album with no real singles or details confirmed.
Here we are in 2020, lockdown for most of us. The teasers begin for Midnight Sky. This becomes her most successful release since Malibu and finally felt like the start of an album campaign. Miley did a lot of promo for the song and all in all it did the job, it was big on radio, she did a lot of performances alongside covers. It felt like this era was the one?
Plastic Hearts is announced and everything seems to be going well, the critics are praising her covers, she's performing at the VMAs etc. Next up is Prisoner! On paper, a smash. Following the radio success of Midnight Sky, with one of the biggest pop stars at that time, I can see why RCA thought it would be huge. As we know, whilst it got Miley a second top 10 single from the album in the UK, it didn't do a lot anywhere else. And obviously, we all know once again that RCA fucked up with the physical copies in the US, being released on Black Friday. Meaning Miley ultimately lost out on going #1 in the US. But in terms of getting her back on top, it really did feel like the label were going in the right direction!
I do agree more singles from each era could've been pushed but sometimes I think Miley was too keen to move on from that sound etc. And so we'd get half of album campaign, she has been vocal about disowning her previous records a lot!
Fastest song to 100 million streams in history, in under a week
Gaining streams daily
#1 on iTunes in 40 countries
#1 on Spotify in 32 countries
#1 on youtube in 26 countries
#1 on Apple Music in 71 countries
#1 on Shazam in 11 countries
#1 on Deezer in 33 countries
75k PURE sales
And Plastic Hearts is gaining on streaming too.
Miley deserves this so much. No cheap gimmicks, no desperate tactics, just writing an empowerment anthem after having to let go of a relationship where she was essentially with the man for a decade, engaged twice, married, lost her entire home in the fires with, and then divorced to.
When you have talent and people can tell you’re actually genuine, you always end up winning in the end, even if it’s a hard journey. Miley is one of the hardest working artists alive, she’s constantly performing, writing and evolving. She deserves this moment.
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