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Rock has made a comeback in the mainstream lately, not least because some popular artists have infused elements of Rock into their music. Miley Cyrus is one of those artists, and she believes that Rock ‘N’ Roll has a freedom that other genres lack.
Miley Cyrus’ latest album, Plastic Hearts, was released last November and reached # 1 on Top Rock Albums. It features collaborations with rockers such as Joan Jett and Billy Idol, both of whom have been major influences for her throughout her life.
The singer was the last guest on Spotify’s Rock This With Allison Hagendorf podcast, and she explained that she didn’t grow up listening to a particular genre or trying to make a specific style of music.
She said:
“Pop” is the abbreviation for popular. When I was a kid and listened to pop music on the way to school every day, there was everything. There was country music, there was David Bowie, there was the Rolling Stones, the Beatles. There were great pop – popular songs.
She continued:
And I think that in 2021, when you think of pop music, you don’t think of the word “authentic” or “original”. You think of formulas or strategies, or even techniques that you have heard of, especially as a songwriter. I mean there are producers and writers who make music out of a formula that they think works, and that’s just not the way I wrote Plastic Hearts.
Throughout the interview, Ms Cyrus repeated that she was happy to see that playlists and other means of consuming music began to be designed around a mindset that now goes beyond ‘one kind. However, she has her own definition of what Rock ‘N’ Roll actually means:
[Le Rock représente] rebellion, for me, is a confrontation. There is a freedom in Rock music that I want for all other genres, and that I want for my music… Rock ‘N’ Roll is a lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle choice, it doesn’t take a “no” for an answer, and that’s something I’ve learned from a lot of these women, like Joan. I would say that before, Rock was about crossing the line. And now I think it’s about erasing it.
Interview de Miley Cyrus pour Rock This With Allison Hagendorf :
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