A Wrecking Ball, but Not a Wreck

When Miley Cyrus came out with her rock ballad “Wrecking Ball,” many people were surprised that she had actual singing chops. However, for most people, the damage was done. Many people couldn’t hear her musical talent over her absurd twerking performance at the Video Music Awards months earlier, nor could they hear the quality in her voice over the visual assault of the music video, which featured her swinging around naked on a wrecking ball, crashing into walls, and licking a sledgehammer.

Truthfully, there’s a reason why Cyrus has been the subject of so much vitriol lately and not all of it makes sense. One major reason why people can’t seem to get on board with her new very adult image is because she took a wrecking ball to the little-girl image of her. People want to think of her as sweet, innocent Hannah Montana and remember her as Billy Ray Cyrus’s sweet little daughter, but her raunchy new tongue-out attitude is giving us an Achy Breaky Heart.

The truth is, though, that Cyrus isn’t doing anything that hasn’t been done before. Britney Spears donned a schoolgirl out and asked to be hit “…one more time.” Christina Aguilera became Xtina and debuted “Dirrty.” Disney stars have to mature past their squeaky-clean childhood personae, and if awkward twerking is what it takes, who can blame Cyrus for doing it?

It’s almost the job of pop stars to push the envelope. Remember how much outrage there was when Madonna donned a cone bra or burned crosses while she danced around in lingerie and kissed a man of a different race? Cyrus doesn’t have a lot of options here. She can’t push Hannah Montana forever. And while swinging around naked on a fake wrecking ball may have been surprising, it’s got people talking, and it’s keeping her relevant.

The only downside for Cyrus is that all this negative attention is distracting people from her very real talent. Whether you love her or hate her, it’s impossible not to realize that she has some serious pipes, and all the naked wrecking ball swinging in the world can’t detract from that. While many pop stars require the help of heavy electronic equipment to sound good, give Cyrus a microphone and she’ll sing her heart out, and sound good doing it, too. She may have come in like a wrecking ball, but she’s no train wreck.