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What makes star quality?
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Miley Cyrus' connections make star quality

Miley Cyrus is the daughter of the famous country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. This connection landed her the leading role on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana show. The rest is history.

The Argument

Although her singing talent and bold fashion statements have kept her in the spotlight, Miley Cyrus was able to get her start as an actress due to her celebrity father, Billy Ray Cyrus[1], and his various Hollywood connections. Her family was supportive of her desire to become a child actress and landed her debut role on her father’s television series Doc[2]. Had it not been for Billy Ray, Miley's dream of being an actress would likely not have been fulfilled so quickly and so easily. Music-wise, Cyrus received plenty of guidance from her godmother Dolly Parton[1]; like Billy Ray, had already achieved international fame as a country singer, and had thus established plenty of connections that could aid Miley in her quest for fame. Miley's signing with Jason Morey of Morey Management Group, done under Parton’s direction[3], helped to kickstart Cyrus’ career as a musician. When Cyrus expressed a desire to take part in more professional acting roles after the success of her Disney show Hannah Montana, her mother/co-manager Tish Cyrus used the connections her daughter had formed as a teen pop star to help her do just that[4]. In fact, Tish contacted author Nicholas Sparks directly to have him write a story and role specifically for her daughter, which later developed into the 2010 film "The Last Song". Cyrus even had a say in how her character was written[4]. It was Cyrus' established stardom - brought about with the help of her father, Dolly Parton, and their various connections - that led to career-defining opportunities such as these whenever she wanted them.

Counter arguments

Miley Cyrus' star quality should not only be attributed to her connections in the music industry; rather, it is the singer's originality (especially in terms of fashion and performance) that has kept her in the limelight. It was when Cyrus broke ties with her innocent, youthful Disney Channel persona that her parents had helped her achieve and maintain, and aligned herself with a new, more 'mature' identity that her popularity began to skyrocket. The public's first glimpse of the new Miley was in her third studio album, 2010's 'Can't Be Tamed'[5]. Cyrus began to promote a more provocative image of herself during tours and in music videos. Cyrus' release of her fourth album 'Bangerz' in 2014[6] marked a complete severance between her and her alter-ego Hannah Montana, as well as the peak of the evolution of her identity. Cyrus had completely reinvented herself from scratch; her experimentation with erotic outfits/performances and lyrics that alluded to sex and drug use were nothing short of surprising. The originality of 'Bangerz' and its accompanying tour made it Cyrus' most commercially successful album to date; it debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 270,000 copies sold in the first week[7].

Proponents

Premises

Rejecting the premises

References

  1. https://www.biography.com/musician/miley-cyrus
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305075515/http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/uniontrib/20060520/news_1c20hannah.html
  3. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kids/miley-cyrus-mom-safeguards-her-career-idUSTRE59R0C520091028
  4. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kids/miley-cyrus-mom-safeguards-her-career-idUSTRE59R0C520091028
  5. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/5747935/miley-cyrus-cant-be-tamed-revisited-why-her-first-rebellion-didnt
  6. https://www.newsday.com/news/new-york/twerking-queen-miley-cyrus-celebrates-bangerz-album-release-1.6228383
  7. https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5755773/miley-cyrus-bangerz-debuts-at-no-1-on-billboard-200
This page was last edited on Tuesday, 22 Sep 2020 at 13:45 UTC

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