Miley Cyrus has been in the music business since she first starred in the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana at the young age of 13. As the eponymous pop star, Miley went on to release four albums of songs originally made for the TV show (five if we count the Hannah Montana Movie soundtrack). After making a name for herself as a fictional pop star, Miley has become a bonafide star herself; making her own debut on Meet Miley Cyrus, released together with Hannah Montana 2, the world fell in love with Miley’s edgier, but still poppy, sound and the singer continues to roll out non-stop hits, like the chart-topping “Flowers.”
With every new release, Miley has managed to reinvent her image while maintaining core elements of her sound. Not to downplay how shocking some of her eras have been (as a teenager who had grown up watching Hannah Montana, “We Can’t Stop” was quite the surprise for me at the time), but her musical influences and sensibilities have stayed remarkably consistent throughout her many iterations. Is this thanks to a consistent team of songwriters or is Miley herself penning these hits?
How many of Miley’s songs has she written herself?
Pop stars — especially women — have a reputation of not writing their own songs, despite singers like Taylor Swift (who responded to criticism by releasing an album entirely of songs written only by herself, Speak Now), Shania Twain, Ariana Grande, and Madonna writing or co-writing many of their biggest hits. Miley is one of these pop stars; the singer does write her own songs and has songwriting credits on over 90 of the songs she’s released in her long career. Going as far back as her first album, 2007’s Meet Miley Cyrus, Miley is credited for helping write eight of the album’s 10 tracks, including the hit “See You Again.”
The trend would continue with Miley writing eight out of 13 songs on her 2008 album Breakout – working with talented songwriters like Tim James and Antonina Armato on songs like “7 Things” and “Fly on the Wall.” While she hasn’t written all of her hits — “Party in the U.S.A.” was originally intended for Jessie J, who did co-write it and Miley didn’t have a hand in writing “Wrecking Ball”— Miley has always been a songwriter in addition to a singer.
While the majority of Miley’s credits are co-writes, she wrote 10 of the songs on the experimental Miley Cyrus and her Dead Petz. Her latest offering, Endless Summer Vacation, also lists her as lead songwriter on all 12 songs. It appears songwriting has always been a part of Miley’s artistry, and despite her decision to quit touring, she doesn’t show any sign of stopping.
