Nothing about Miley Cyrus is typical, conventional, or predictable. She has no interest in the typical talk show plug for her new album, “Younger Now,” released September 29. Instead, the artist known for constantly changing her canvas in life chose to spend a whole week with Jimmy Fallon on the “Tonight Show.” She played games, she cried, she laughed, she hugged, she shared time with her dad, and bore her soul for all to see, all the while singing songs that run the gamut in genres and style. She pulled off the whole residency in spectacular fashion, proving “I'm not afraid of who I used to be,” as her title song says, and Miley Cyrus is more than ready to show the world all that she is now.
Morning media for October 8 is raving for the Miley marathon.
Then and now
One of this morning's features shows Miley Cyrus among some of her contemporaries, including Bella Hadid, drenched and glistening in oil for a photo shoot, but that's just one capture of the 24-year-old, who has been writing songs and singing since her childhood, and grew up before the eyes of millions as the Disney-created Hannah Montana. She has been a rebel, an innovator, and never surrendered her musical roots.
Miley Cyrus elaborated in interviews that she wanted “Younger Now” to be like a hug for the world, in contrast to some of her “Dead Petz” period compositions. There is the simple and still profound “Rainbowland” sang with her godmother, Dolly Parton, as an imploring anthem of love and inclusion.
There are songs that penetrate to the deeper commitment of love, like “Miss You So Much,” and the conflicted “She's Not Him,” and still the attitude of “Bad Mood” and “Thinkin” will get any listener driving to the beat.
The whole country was in need of a mammoth hug Monday, and Jimmy Fallon movingly opened the show by saying that they held the shooting victims and the whole community of Las Vegas in their hearts, but they would do their best to still entertain.
Miley Cyrus sang with Adam Sandler offered the Dido song, “No Freedom” as a perfect balm of resolve and healing.
Heroes on all sides
Throughout the week, in Nashville vernacular, Miley “sang her a** off” with some of the musical heroes of modern music. She and Billy Joel brought Madison Square Garden with “New York State of Mind,” and the country girl did far more than survive-- she shined.
Miley Cyrus’ most touching time came in writing her own thank you note to Hillary Clinton, and her tears were flowing as she read her own prewritten words along with the women among the “Tonight Show” writers. She echoed thanks for Clinton for being “a constant beacon of strength, hope, and determination” for her and millions of other young women. She closed with a request of “Can I hug you?”
The presidential candidate and former Secretary of State openly obliged, and the embrace was sincere and lasting, as more tears came for the singer. Miley made no secret of her dismay over the outcome of the 2016 election, confessing that she “cried for three days.” She was not alone in sobbing. Later, the singer belted out Nancy Sinatra's “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’” in honor of Clinton.
The most prominent hero for my Miley Cyrus remains her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, and dad and daughter took the stage for a stunning duet on Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” that was so personal and tender that it rendered everyone speechless.
Closing out the week in dynamic, multidimensional form, Miley Cyrus donned the “big suit” attire of Talking Heads’ founder David Byrne to top off the lip sync battle to "Once in a Lifetime.” She then took on Portugal. The Man’s “Feel It Still” saying that the song was one “you can't get out of your head.”
Miley Cyrus served up a week of memorable moments that no one will forget for a long while, and there's still the new album to make a favorite.
