The rising star

She appeared on Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in The World in 2008. She is the most recognised Disney Channel star in South Africa. At the age of 16 she signed a contract to pen an autobiography. One of the most popular Disney stars Miley Ray Cyrus is a name to reckon with when it comes to teen Hollywood. And it’s not just for being the party girl or paparazzi’s favourite for this girl has true talent.


Born on November 23, 1992, in Tennessee to country singer Billy Ray and Leticia, Cyrus was named Destiny Hope by her parents as they believed that she would accomplish great things in life. It’s her bright smile that was her trademark since childhood that gave her the nickname of ‘Smiley’. It was later shortened to Miley. In January 2008, Cyrus announced her intent to officially change her name to ‘Miley Ray Cyrus’, her middle name reflecting that of her father


This singer, actress and songwriter shot to fame with Disney series, Hannah Montana in which she plays the lead role of Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana.





Starting early: Cyrus became interested in acting when she was nine, and took classes at the Armstrong Acting Studio. Her first appearance was in her father’s television series Doc. In 2003, she bagged the role of Young Ruthie in Tim Burton’s Big Fish and also appeared in the music video for If Heartaches Have Wings.


At 12, she auditioned for Disney Channel’s show about a secret pop star Hannah Montana. After her first audition executives at Disney Channel judged her to be too young, however Cyrus’ persistence resulted in her being called back for further auditions, Finally she got the role.


According to the Channel’s President Gary Marsh, Cyrus was seen as a person who “loves every minute of life,” with the “everyday relatability of Hilary Duff and the stage presence of Shania Twain.”





Career takeoff: Hannah Montana first aired on March 24, 2006 in the US and averaged more than four million viewers per episode. Her recording debut was on April 4, 2006, when the fourth edition of DisneyMania was released. That same year on October 24 Walt Disney records released the first Hannah Montana Soundtrack, which sold 281,000 copies. The album debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard 200.


On June 26, 2007, Cyrus released a double album, Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus , which also debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 326,000 copies. Her second studio album Breakout — under her own name — came in July 2008. This album gave continuation to the trend by debuting at number 1 on US Billboard 200 chart with a first week sales of about 371,000 copies. Her Hannah Montana soundtrack of third season titled Hannah Montana 3 released on July 7, 2009.


She set on her first headlining tour, the Best of Both World’s tour, on October 18, 2007. The tour lasted till January 31, 2008 with 69 concerts across the US. She performed both as herself and as Hannah Montana. The tour was recorded and released to theatres as a concert film in Disney Digital 3-D.





Big screen venture: After pretty much conquering the TV and music world, Cyrus entered the big screen with the film spin-off of


Hannah Montana, titled Hannah Montana: The Movie which was released on April 10, 2009.


In June 2009 the star began filming for The Last Song, a movie based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. This film is being seen as a “star vehicle” intended to introduce Cyrus to older audiences.





The entrepreneur: To cash in on the show’s popularity, Disney released a Hannah Montana clothing collection in late summer 2007. Cyrus became a spokesperson for Daisy Rock Guitars in 2004, when she was presented with her first Daisy Rock guitar.


She was she was ranked 17 on the list of Forbes Top Twenty Superstar Earners under 25 with an annual earning of $3.5 million in 2007. The latest business venture of the star is her line of junior and girl’s clothing line for Walmart. She has teamed up with Max Azria for this line.


Cyrus suffers from a mild form of a heart condition causing tachycardia. In her autobiography, Miles To Go, Cyrus writes, “There is never a time on stage when I’m not thinking about my heart.”