Miley Cyrus: Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions)

Miley Cyrus performed "Jaded" at the top of her new Disney+ special, Miley Cyrus Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions). The song is one of the 13 tracks on Cyrus's eighth studio album, which dropped on March 10th. Cyrus has called this album her "love letter to LA," and it is rather poetic that she would partner with Disney+ to perform the tracks from the album live for the first time. She also performed the dreamy "Rose Colored Lenses," a song about getting lost in the euphoria of a new relationship, and "Thousand Miles," which features Brandi Carlile, a song she wrote after her close friend lost her sister to suicide. Cyrus is known for being honest with her fans, and this song is filled with joy. Miley Cyrus' latest album, "Island," is a reggae-infused track that reflects on her loneliness in the spotlight. She also wrote "Wonder Woman" after her mom, Tish, lost her mother, and "Boredom for an artist can feel like torture." Cyrus is reinventing herself for every record, and is bringing her audience into her endless summer vacation. This is a way for her to stop taking herself and her success of records so seriously, and do it for the reason she started writing music. Cyrus sings a few lines from the original lyrics of "Thousand Miles" and explains her decision to divide the album into two parts: an A. M. "act" representing potential and new possibilities, and P. M. representing the night time where there's a "slinky, seediness, but glamorous" in LA's nightlife. She also explains that the sequencing of an album is important to her, as she wants there to be a conflict and an overcoming. Cyrus wrote her latest single from Endless Summer Vacation, "River," while going through a lot emotionally and personally. To enter the party, her friends had to bring their "gay best friend." The track is a "dancefloor banger" and is her most successful single to date, breaking the record for the most streamed song in a week on Spotify. It is a song about taking her power back and embracing independence and self love, a topic that is very current today. Cyrus explains that in the first chorus, there is a little bit of self doubt, but by the end, it showcases her most confident self. Cyrus started Backyard Sessions 10 years ago as a way to present her music in a more intimate setting. She has since covered "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, "Don't Dream It's Over" with Ariana Grande, and showcased the title track of her seventh studio album, "Plastic Hearts." Her iconic reunion with Disney for this milestone anniversary in the series, celebrating her most critically acclaimed album Endless Summer Vacation, feels like an album Hannah Montana would have written in 2023. It further proves that Cyrus is a powerhouse that can always find her way back home.

I'm a 37-year old man. In other words, about the last audience one would expect for a Miley Cyrus concert. However, when all the theatrics and tabloid antics are put aside, I've always thought that Miley has an incredibly unique and powerful voice. "Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions)" is a wonderful showcase of exactly that. Basically, "Backyard Sessions" is a series of songs from Cyrus' latest album (Endless Summer Vacation) sung in a stripped-down, sparse setting. No stage--no pyro--no crowd. Just Miley, a microphone, and a small accompanying band. The songs are interspersed with short vignettes of Cyrus explaining the origins or emotions of the various tunes. I can't help but think that this was perhaps a "pandemic production", of sorts, from its simplistic nature. Either way, it proves to be an effective showcase of her pipes. Even if--like me--you can't necessarily relate to the music's content or have a nostalgic connection to the singer herself, the strength of that voice alone cannot be denied. For awhile, being a fan (traditional or not) of Miley Cyrus was a complicated affair, what with her tabloid exploits usually outpacing her musical output. But now that some of that "rebellious stage" is perhaps in the rearview mirror, "Backyard Sessions"--and the album it promotes--could be a nice course-correction back to a focus on her music and vocals.

Miley Cyrus performed "Jaded" at the top of her new Disney+ special, Miley Cyrus Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions). The song is one of the 13 tracks on Cyrus's eighth studio album, which dropped on March 10th. Cyrus has called this album her "love letter to LA," and it is rather poetic that she would partner with Disney+ to perform the tracks from the album live for the first time. She also performed the dreamy "Rose Colored Lenses," a song about getting lost in the euphoria of a new relationship, and "Thousand Miles," which features Brandi Carlile, a song she wrote after her close friend lost her sister to suicide. Cyrus is known for being honest with her fans, and this song is filled with joy. Miley Cyrus' latest album, "Island," is a reggae-infused track that reflects on her loneliness in the spotlight. She also wrote "Wonder Woman" after her mom, Tish, lost her mother, and "Boredom for an artist can feel like torture." Cyrus is reinventing herself for every record, and is bringing her audience into her endless summer vacation. This is a way for her to stop taking herself and her success of records so seriously, and do it for the reason she started writing music. Cyrus sings a few lines from the original lyrics of "Thousand Miles" and explains her decision to divide the album into two parts: an A. M. "act" representing potential and new possibilities, and P. M. representing the night time where there's a "slinky, seediness, but glamorous" in LA's nightlife. She also explains that the sequencing of an album is important to her, as she wants there to be a conflict and an overcoming. Cyrus wrote her latest single from Endless Summer Vacation, "River," while going through a lot emotionally and personally. To enter the party, her friends had to bring their "gay best friend." The track is a "dancefloor banger" and is her most successful single to date, breaking the record for the most streamed song in a week on Spotify. It is a song about taking her power back and embracing independence and self love, a topic that is very current today. Cyrus explains that in the first chorus, there is a little bit of self doubt, but by the end, it showcases her most confident self. Cyrus started Backyard Sessions 10 years ago as a way to present her music in a more intimate setting. She has since covered "Jolene" by Dolly Parton, "Don't Dream It's Over" with Ariana Grande, and showcased the title track of her seventh studio album, "Plastic Hearts." Her iconic reunion with Disney for this milestone anniversary in the series, celebrating her most critically acclaimed album Endless Summer Vacation, feels like an album Hannah Montana would have written in 2023. It further proves that Cyrus is a powerhouse that can always find her way back home.

I'm a 37-year old man. In other words, about the last audience one would expect for a Miley Cyrus concert. However, when all the theatrics and tabloid antics are put aside, I've always thought that Miley has an incredibly unique and powerful voice. "Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions)" is a wonderful showcase of exactly that. Basically, "Backyard Sessions" is a series of songs from Cyrus' latest album (Endless Summer Vacation) sung in a stripped-down, sparse setting. No stage--no pyro--no crowd. Just Miley, a microphone, and a small accompanying band. The songs are interspersed with short vignettes of Cyrus explaining the origins or emotions of the various tunes. I can't help but think that this was perhaps a "pandemic production", of sorts, from its simplistic nature. Either way, it proves to be an effective showcase of her pipes. Even if--like me--you can't necessarily relate to the music's content or have a nostalgic connection to the singer herself, the strength of that voice alone cannot be denied. For awhile, being a fan (traditional or not) of Miley Cyrus was a complicated affair, what with her tabloid exploits usually outpacing her musical output. But now that some of that "rebellious stage" is perhaps in the rearview mirror, "Backyard Sessions"--and the album it promotes--could be a nice course-correction back to a focus on her music and vocals.